Wayne Rooney has revealed that he wants to finish his playing career at Manchester United after announcing he will retire from England duty in 2018.
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“Wayne has been an excellent captain for England and the manner in which he has fulfilled the role made it an easy decision for me to ask him to continue”, said Allardyce.
But if we’ve learned anything about Rooney, it’s that he will never be out-worked and for at least two more years, Rooney is going to give it all he’s got to put a bow on his England career.
Antonio, who has progressed from the non-league ranks to the Premier League, believes his style is something that some coaches may not agree with but he will continue what has allowed him to make an impression on Allardyce.
When he plays in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier, Rooney will break David Beckham’s record for the most capped outfield England player. In the next few days we’ll speak about it more, whether it’s as a midfielder or attacker. England begin their 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia in Trnava on Sunday.
“Then I went to Sheffield Wednesday and then Nottingham Forest and I managed to get to West Ham, where I always wanted to be – the Premier League”.
The Manchester United forward, who will become England’s most capped outfield player on Sunday, started off by setting an global retirement date.
“People say I’m raw, and some people don’t like raw”.
Though the Manchester United man has shifted from that No. 9 striker position to more of a No. 10, he has been the heart and soul of the England attack for years and one of the biggest names in worldwide soccer.
With the clock now ticking on his global career – eleven more caps will see him break Peter Shilton’s all-time appearance record of 125 – Rooney can now focus on achieving some kind of success at the end of it.
Allardyce explained that he had overlooked Everton’s Ross Barkley because he considers Rooney and Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli as his top two picks for the number 10 position. But Allardyce sees no cause to change that as long as Rooney is a part of his starting XI.
“Jamie Vardy was a person who I thought – he’s come through everything I have done and he’s been called up at 28”.
“I did an interview at the end of the game and I came in and the physio went over to me and said, “You’ve been called up.’ I said, “Ha, funny”.
However, the former Bolton, West Ham, Newcastle and Sunderland manager proved unwilling to tamper with the status quo and named Rooney captain, stating that he will play the Manchester United man in the withdrawn role has occupied at Old Trafford under José Mourinho this season. The time will probably be right in two years’ time, and hopefully I can enjoy the next two years, and do a bit better.
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However, that defeat was one of a series of disappointments Rooney has suffered at major tournaments with England, which include a red card during the 2006 World Cup quarter final against Portugal, who eventually progressed after a penalty shoot-out. “The door will always be open for Ross, but at this moment I felt the squad I picked is the right one”. With England’s young talent and Rooney’s sagging form, that’s no guarantee. “Obviously [I’ve got] bad memories of the last time playing for England, so it will be nice to get back out there playing and hopefully [get] a positive result”.
