Rooney named England captain

Wayne Rooney has been named England’s new captain by manager Roy Hodgson, Sky Sports reports.

Rooney was recently appointed Manchester United’s new skipper by boss Louis van Gaal and had been widely tipped to take the armband for country as well as club.

Steven Gerrard relinquished the role when he announced his retirement from international duty in the aftermath of England’s disappointing World Cup campaign in Brazil.

Chelsea’s Gary Cahill and Manchester City’s Joe Hart had also been touted as potential successors to Gerrard but Hodgson, speaking at a press conference on Thursday to announce his latest England squad, said Rooney was “an obvious choice”.

“I gave it a lot of thought but Wayne Rooney is an obvious choice for his honesty, commitment to the cause, his experience, the fact he has already captained England in the past,” Hodgson said.

“Now of course he’s got that responsibility at Manchester United as well. All those factors weighed into my thought process and I’m pleased to be able to say I’ve been able to offer it to him. I had a long conversation with him and he’s prepared to accept the pressures the England captaincy brings.