“Sam will want to find out why we keep tripping up because the [previous] managers and players haven’t found out why”.
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“Come Russia I feel that will be the time for me to say goodbye to worldwide football, my mind is made up”, said Rooney, adding: “I will just try to enjoy myself over the next two years”.
Allardyce was criticised by some fans while at West Ham for not playing what they called “the West Ham way”.
Many Manchester United fans will be glad to hear news of Rooney’s global exit, knowing it means they might yet see their captain preserve his club career for several years thanks to that decision. But at some point it’s going to come to an end, whether that’s [in] two years’ [or] four years’ time.
“I’m not old, I’m 30, and come Russian Federation that’ll be the time for me to say goodbye to worldwide football”.
Current skipper Rooney was named in Sam Allardyce’s first squad on Monday (AEST) having set up United’s late victor in a 1-0 Premier League victory at Hull City a day earlier. Hopefully, I can end my time with England on a high.
“Fifteen years of worldwide football is a lot of years”. I started playing professional football when I was 16, and started playing internationals when I was 17.
England plays Slovakia in its opening World Cup qualifier on Sunday, for what will be Allardyce’s first game in charge.
Rooney said: “It will be a proud moment”.
“As a player, an experienced player, I know how to manage my body through training”. It’s a huge honour for me.
“In the past it’s been a case of some of the players joining up who haven’t played that much for their teams”.
Having been deployed as a midfielder at Euro 2016, where England were sent home by minnows Iceland, eyebrows were again raised when Allardyce’s squad to face Slovakia included Rooney’s name among the midfielders.
“For me, that’s the captain’s role”. Once I reach one target, I always search for another and I went from non-league to Reading. “Of course, it’s a huge honour to captain your country and I’m grateful to Sam for giving me that opportunity”.
Allardyce admits he will expect Rooney to become his voice in the pitch and a player prepared to make changes during the game if required. “Now I’ve done that, I’ve got to set myself a new target now”.
“You can see he’s a relaxed guy”, Rooney said, with a laugh.
“Since we’ve been here the camp’s been good”.
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“People say I’m raw, and some people don’t like raw. No one runs at players like I do, or gets to the back stick and overpowers a defender”.
