Wayne Rooney says 2018 World Cup could be his last tournament with England
Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney has revealed that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia will be his last tournament for the England national team. Rooney will be aged 32 when he takes his country to Russia, providing England manage to qualify for the tournament, therefore, the decision looks like a sensible and well-thought one.
The England striker admitted that the tournament is likely to be his last. He 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.”
Speaking at St. James’ Park, Rooney added, “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.”
The striker also talked about his country’s poor showing at this year’s Euros but said that he is excited about playing under Sam Allardyce. “We have to ( move on ). You can't just forget it (Euro 2016) but it's a new era for us. A new manager. I seem to say that after every tournament. We have to work out how we can go one step further in tournament play.
“I'm looking forward to this new regime. I'm excited by the players involved at the moment and, although there have been questions about my future, I said straight after the Euros that I wanted to still be involved. When Sam got the job I made that clear to him and here we are,” the striker added.
Rooney also said that his new manager can bring in new ideas to improve the team. “Sam is a relaxed guy. The camp has been good, we have only had one session, but we are all excited about what ideas he can bring to us,” he said.
The Manchester United man was also asked about international teammate Joe Hart's impending loan switch to Serie A club Torino to which the striker replied with, “Joe has been in a difficult situation and knowing him like I do he wants to play and so he has gone somewhere where he can do that. This is the move that he wants and I wish him well and I am sure that it can benefit England.”
Wayne has been excellent captain for England: Allardyce
Earlier, there had been talks about the uncertainty over whether the Manchester United captain would be retained as the England captain as well, and Sam Allardyce was quick to thrash all the rumors. The manager said that it was an easy decision to keep Rooney as the captain because he is the perfect player to wear the armband.
The former Sunderland manager said, “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. Wayne’s record speaks for itself, he is the most senior member of the squad and he is hugely respected by his peers. All of these factors point towards him being the right choice to lead the team.”
England will be facing Slovakia on Sunday in what will be Allardyce’s first game in-charge of the national side but Rooney’s early decision means that England’s leading scorer will play his last game for the country in Russia. But if he can maintain his fitness and form through the tournament, then he may as well be able to prolong his international career as experience is always required to build any team.