England manager Roy Hodgson has named Wayne Rooney as his new captain, as the Manchester United skipper will lead the Three Lions into a new era.
Rooney, 28, has been handed the honor after former captain Steven Gerrard stood down from England duty after the 2014 World Cup, while other veterans such as Frank Lampard have also retired from international duty.
Joe Hart and Gary Cahill were also candidates to take the captaincy but Hodgson has picked Rooney as he made the announcement on Thursday, along with his squad for two upcoming games in September. Rooney has scored 40 goals in 94 appearances for his country and is on track to be the most capped outfield player, while also breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record of 49 goals.
Speaking of the decisions, this is what Hodgson had to say.“I gave it a lot of thought but Wayne is an obvious choice. He deserves it - his commitment to the cause and his experience. He has captained England in the past and has that responsibility at Manchester United,” Hodgson said. “I’m pleased to say I’ve been able to offer it to him. I’ve had a long conversation with him and he’s prepared to accept the pressures that the England captaincy brings. It’s important that the player wants to take on that enormous responsibility.”
England will play Norway in a friendly at Wembley on Sept. 3 and then face a massive Euro 2014 qualifier against Switzerland on Sept. 8.
Four new faces are in Hodgson’s latest squad with Calum Chambers, Jack Colback, Danny Rose and Fabian Delph all receiving their first call ups to the national team. Everton youngster John Stone is included, as is Andros Townsend who missed the World Cup through injury.
The full squad for the Three Lions is below, as Hodgson continues to give youth a chance. The likes of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Ross Barkley and Kyle Walker are out injured, while Glen Johnson and Chris Smalling have been left out.
England squad in full
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Everton)
Midfielders: Jack Colback (Newcastle United), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)