Wayne Rooney has announced the 2018 World Cup will be his final tournament with England after he was kept on as captain by new boss Sam Allardyce.
Rooney, 30, has led his country since August 2014 and is England’s record goalscorer having registered 53 in 115 appearances.
However, after taking over from Roy Hodgson following Euro 2016, Allardyce initially refused to confirm whether the Manchester United forward would keep the armband.
Allardyce also declined to name a captain in his first squad announcement on Sunday night, adding a minor element of intrigue.
Question marks over his place in the team also appear to have been answered by the decision and Rooney, preparing for Sunday’s opening 2018 World Cup qualifier in Slovakia, says Russia 2018 is likely to be his last chance to win a major international competition.
Speaking at St George’s Park, Rooney said: “Realistically I know myself that Russia will be my last opportunity to do anything with England. Hopefully I can end my time with England on a high.
“I said before the Euros I enjoyed playing in this team, and that’s the case still. There were some questions about whether I should stop playing, but I am looking forward to getting back on the pitch.
Rooney has scored 53 in 115 international appearances for England. Source: The Guardian
“I made my mind up before the Euros, whether we did well or not, that I was going to continue. I’ve had nothing to think about since then.”
He added: “My mind is made up … Russia will be my last tournament.”
