INTERNATIONAL

WAYNE ROONEY has been told he will not be captain, will not wear the No.10 shirt, and will not start against USA next week at Wembley.

FA chiefs have delivered a clear message – effectively a slapdown – after what was supposed to be a tribute to England’s record goalscorer turned into a farce.

The FA wanted to keep Rooney’s involvement in next week’s friendly quiet until they were ready to make an announcement. But details were leaked early, causing frustration for manager Gareth Southgate (below). Publicity pictures even showed Rooney in a No.10 shirt, with Southgate said to be considering giving him the iconic number.

But because of a backlash, the FA have now made it clear the tribute to England’s former captain will be done on their terms.

Southgate is determined to avoid upsetting squad members including captain Harry Kane, and Raheem Sterling, who wears No.10. Rooney is likely to come on as a late substitute and could then be given the armband for the closing moments of the game.

England boss Southgate will name his squad for the USA game tomorrow, and Rooney will be in in it, but they also face Croatia three days later in a crucial Nations League fixture. Rooney’s involvement has been an unwelcome distraction. England legend Peter Shilton, who with 125 caps is six clear of Rooney, said it was wrong to give away cheap caps and deny a younger player a place in the squad. But World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst stood up for Rooney and insisted he

MO DIAME has challenged his Newcastle team-mates to transform St James’ Park into a fortress once again.Rafa Benitez’s side were in danger of creating history by becoming the first top-flight side to lose their opening six games on home soil, having failed to pick up a point in their previous five.But they stopped the rot with a gutsy 1-0 win over Watford and, with Bournemouth heading to the North East this weekend, Diame said: “We’d picked up points away from home, but none at home before Watford so it was crucial to finally end the run.“Everyone in the squad knows that it is at St James’ Park where we need to pick up most of our points.“It’s going to be tough this weekend against a good Bournemouth side, but we must make winning at home a habit again.”Diame was delighted to hear Toon fans in full voice once again, answering Benitez’s call to back the team.He added: “That’s the atmosphere we want – and we must get them pumped up with results.”

STARS AND GRIPE The FA’S tribute t Rooney at the US game has been sca back after the ide was slammed