It’s painful to watch Rooney’s talent on the wane

WAYNE ROONEY insists he is a fighter and will not give up on his England career, but if that is the case then someone will have to throw the towel in for him eventually. It is getting too painful to watch.

Against Malta in England’s World Cup qualifier, for a tournament that will be his last contribution for the national team, Rooney was like an old man watching his grandchildren play in the garden. He was slow. He was indecisive. He set the tone in the third minute when he was caught in possession on the halfway line by Gareth Sciberras.

Sloths have been known to react quicker to danger. It was the sort of mistake that can shatter a player’s confidence so early in a game. But Rooney confidently claimed a free kick, 30 yards from goal, four minutes later. He stuck it in the wall. Even the 30- year-old’s much talked-about ability to spray the ball around the pitch from deep was beyond him.

Time after time he tried it. High, over the top of the last defender; low, through the gaps between the defence. Time after time the ball went out of play and possession was lost. Each time he scowled. He dropped his head. He shook it in frustration.

Meanwhile Jordan Henderson was showing him how to do it. The Liverpool man’s ball from halfway glided into the path of Jesse Lingard and the Manchester United forward missed his chance.

Henderson’s accurate cross set up Daniel Sturridge to head in the first. He was playing further back than Rooney, but his run from deep gave him another assist, playing the final pass to Dele Alli to add the second.

In fact, nothing of note from England’s many attacks came through Rooney. He poked the ball around from the middle. He almost took Andre Schembri’s ankle off with a crunching tackle. Is he really in the side for that? Eric Dier, Alex OxladeChamberlain and Danny Drinkwater are all younger options.

Rooney did not have a terrible game, but that is nothing to boast about against a side ranked 176th in the world. His best moment came on eight minutes, when his first-time shot across goal from just inside the box was heading into the top left corner but was clawed out by Malta’s goalkeeper Andrew Hogg.

Surely if Rooney is to warrant a place in this England team that is where he needs to be — inside the penalty area, utilising the attacking instincts. Not watching the game bypass him in midfield.

He forced Hogg to tip over from a set-piece in the second half, but it was a routine save.