England captain Wayne Rooney said that the 2018 World Cup in Russia would be his final tournament as an international footballer. Realistically, I know myself that Russia will be my last opportunity to do anything with England,” Rooney said at a press conference. “My mind is made up. Russia will be my last tournament.”
Rooney will remain England captain but his midfield experiment with the national team is over, with the Manchester United veteran set to revert to playing as a forward under new coach Sam Allardyce. “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,” Allardyce said. Rooney finished last season playing as a central midfielder for United under Louis van Gaal, and played there for England during its European Championship campaign. New United manager Jose Mourinho has returned Rooney to the no. 10 role, and Allardyce also thinks that's his best position. The player most affected by that positional tweak is Ross Barkley, who was dropped on Sunday by Allardyce. Barkley plays in the same position as United captain Rooney at Everton, and has started the season in good form for his club with two goals in four games.
