Rooney to bow out of England
LONDON – Wayne Rooney will end his England career after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The 30-year-old striker made his announcement yesterday at a news conference ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on Sunday where he will set a new record for an England outfield player, ahead of David Beckham, by winning his 116th cap.
“Come Russia I feel that will be the time for me to say goodbye to international football, my mind is made up,” said Rooney, who was reappointed England captain by new manager Sam Allardyce on Monday.
“Russia will be my last opportunity to do anything with England so I’m going to try to enjoy these two years and hopefully I can end my time with England on a high.”
England’s record goal-scorer with 53 goals, Rooney has been a stalwart for his country since bursting on to the international scene under Sven-Goran Eriksson at Euro 2004.
Four managers and 12 years later, however, Rooney accepts there has been a familiar tale of England underachievement. “We have to [move on from previous disappointments]. You can’t just forget it [Euro 2016] but it’s a new era for us. A new manager. I seem to say that after every tournament. We have to work out how we can go one step further in tournament play.
“I’m looking forward to this new regime. I’m excited by the players involved at the moment and, although there have been questions about my future, I said straight after the Euros that I wanted to still be involved,” he said. “When Sam got the job I made that clear to him and here we are. Sam is a relaxed guy. The camp has been good.”
Allardyce has said he will ask Rooney to fill a No. 10 role. –