Are Rooney’s England days over?

WAYNE ROONEY faces a battle to get back into the England squad due to his lack of playing time at Manchester United, with a number of in-form players currently ahead of him in the pecking order, manager Gareth Southgate has said.

Rooney, who was omitted from England’s 26- man squad for the upcoming international fixtures against Germany and Lithuania, has started only nine Premier League games this season.

“We have to look at Wayne as a No. 10, which is his predominant role,” Southgate told the British media.

“In the last two games we’ve played Dele Alli there and we’ve played Adam Lallana there. Both are playing very well, scoring and assisting for their clubs.

“Ross Barkley has been playing very well for his club. So there’s competition. I can’t dress it up any other way.”

Alli has scored 13 league goals for Tottenham Hotspur this season, compared with Rooney’s two at United.

“I don’t think he (Rooney) expects, if he is not playing every week for his club, to be picked in this sort of situation,” Southgate added.

England will play a friendly against Germany in Dortmund on Wednesday before their World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley on March 26.

● Chelsea forward Pedro received a recall to the Spain squad yesterday for the World Cup qualifier against Israel, and the international friendly against France after nearly nine months out of the national team.

AC Milan winger Gerard Deulofeu meanwhile returns to the squad for the first time since 2014 and Real Sociedad midfielder Asier Illarramendi has earned his first call up.

Pedro was a key member of the Spain team that won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championships in 2012 but had yet to be called up by new coach Julen Lopetegui, who took over from Vicente del Bosque last summer. – Reuters