Wayne Rooney makes declaration over his England future

England’s disastrous 2-1 defeat at the hands of tournament minnows Iceland in the last-16 of Euro 2016 was viewed as a probable swansong for captain Rooney on the international stage, after he again failed to inspire his side towards the latter stages of a competition.

While Rooney showed flashes of inspiration in an team that struggled to get out of first gear over the course of their four matches, many observers suggested the time was right for him to bring down the curtain on an international career that has seen him establish himself as England’s all-time leading scorer.

Yet a surprisingly upbeat Rooney insisted he still had plenty to offer on the big stage, as he insisted he would make himself available for selection to the manager who replaces Roy Hodgson as England boss.

“It’s disappointing tonight, but I enjoy and am proud playing for England,” stated Rooney, in quotes appearing in the Daily Mirror. “I’ll be interested to see who the next manager is. If selected, I’ll certainly be there.”

Rooney went on to pay tribute to Hodgson, who quickly announced his resignation after the shock defeat against Iceland.

“We can’t forget he’s brought a lot of young players through and I think the future’s bright for England,” he added.

“Unfortunately it hasn’t happened in this tournament but hopefully, in the future there’s good things to come and although it’s difficult to say and see that now, I think Roy has been good to the players and I’ll be thanking him.”

Rooney has now played in six major international tournaments, with England failing to get beyond the quarter-final stage in any of those competitions over the last 12 years.