LONDON, Thursday: Wayne Rooney’s international career looks over after England’s all-time top-scorer was Thursday left out of the squad for next month’s World Cup qualifier against Scotland and a friendly in France.
The 31-year-old striker has lost his place at Manchester United and was similarly omitted from Gareth Southgate’s England squad announced in March, although he was carrying a knee injury at the time.
Fit-again Rooney, who made a brief appearance in Manchester United’s Europa League final win over Ajax in Stockholm on Wednesday, had hoped to end his international career by captaining England at next year’s World Cup in Russia.
But this now looks an increasingly forlorn hope for Rooney, England’s record goalscorer with 53 goals and their most capped outfielder with 119 appearances for his country.
His United career could also be over having fallen down the pecking order under manager Jose Mourinho.
“We have a lot of players playing exceptionally well in the area of the pitch that Wayne plays,” Southgate told thefa.com.
“I said last time (in March) that he was a bit short of matches -- he’s had some matches now but we’ve got players that have done really, really well for us in Adam Lallana and Dele Alli.
“I can’t dress it up any other way -- other players are in really good form and deserve to keep their place.”
Southgate did not rule out entirely a recall for Rooney, who is three years younger than veteran striker Jermain Defoe, who has been retained despite Sunderland’s desperate season seeing them relegated.
“You never write off a player of Wayne’s quality and I’m sure that, next season, he’ll be back to playing,” said Southgate.
“He’s finished the season a bit better and I’m sure he’ll take that into next year.”
England face oldest rivals Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Glasgow’s Hampden Park on June 10 before travelling to Paris for a friendly three days later.
England squad: Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino/ITA, on loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jake Livermore (West Bromwich Albion), Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Forwards: Jermain Defoe (Sunderland), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
- AFP
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