Rose: Dropping Rooney was key decision from Southgate

England defender Danny Rose said Gareth Southgate stamped his authority on the England squad the day he dropped Wayne Rooney.

Southgate was leading his country for only the second time, and on an interim basis, when he decided to drop the team’s record goalscorer for a World Cup qualifier in Slovenia in October 2016. Rooney had captained the side in a 2-0 over Malta three days earlier and was expected to do so all the way to the finals in Russia. But Southgate had already started to realise the squad’s biggest name did not fit his plan. England drew the match 0-0, with Rooney a second-half substitute, but the die was cast and he retired from international duty the following summer.

Rose said: “I definitely didn’t expect the manager to drop him against Slovenia and as soon as we all saw that we knew the gaffer was not somebody to be messed around with. He’s dropped arguably one of the best England players ever and the top goalscorer as well. It was a huge shock for all of us.”

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has admitted he still feels the pain of the defeat by Iceland at Euro 2016.

From what his first tournament with England, the Manchester United forward also recalled the pressurised atmosphere around the squad and the crushing weight of expectation, which made his first serious taste of international football a daunting experience.

“As you can see everyone’s quite relaxed and that’s been a massive part of it. I remember leading up to the Euros it wasn’t as relaxed, and there was a lot more tension – and we all know what happened,” said Rashford. “You always keep disappointments like that with you, because you never want to feel them again, so being more relaxed this time is definitely a lot better and it’s something new. All the lads are taking it in their stride.

“The difference is we have had slightly longer to prepare. I’m more experienced now and a lot more comfortable than I was, around the boys. And that can put you in good stead.”