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Rooney's star on the wane as his England career fizzles out
Wayne Rooney’s absence from the England squad for games against Scotland and France is perhaps the latest signal that the former captain’s time in the international game is coming to an end.
The 31-year-old was once the darling of fans both on the international scene with England and also in the stands at Old Trafford.
But, with his position as a first choice for Manchester United under serious threat, his lack of playing time for his club this season has clearly swayed the thinking of England manager Gareth Southgate.
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The England boos has decided against including Rooney for the World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow on June 10 and a friendly against France in Paris three days later.
When the former England defender took over following Sam Allardyce’s short-lived reign last September he made it clear Rooney remained an important part of his plans.
His decision to leave Rooney out indicates he is now more in line with the thinking of United boss Jose Mourinho, who has made the striker an increasingly peripheral figure at Old Trafford this season.
Rooney holds the goalscoring record for both club and country – 253 and 53 respectively – and right from the very start of his career with boyhood club Everton his exploits were making headlines.
A 16-year-old Rooney announced himself to the world in October 2002 with a superb late strike to hand the Toffees a 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Brilliant
And after the move to Old Trafford went through in 2004, the young forward marked his Red Devils debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League with a brilliant hat-trick.
Rooney’s honours with United are impressive and include five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups, the Europa League and the 2007-08 Champions League.
His roll of honour with England is in stark contrast and his absence from the latest squad leaves it looking more and more likely he will never add any international trophies to those he has earned with his club.
With all he has achieved during 559 appearances for his club, he has had a considerable amount of criticism to deal with, including from the Old Trafford faithful.
It may be because he is part of an England generation widely accepted to have hugely underachieved.
Fifty-three goals in 119 caps is an undeniably excellent international record, but plenty will argue Rooney has simply not delivered when it really counted at major tournament finals.
A contract dispute between Rooney and United in 2010, during which he was linked with Manchester City, may also have done lasting damage to his reputation among the club’s fans.
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Earlier this season Rooney felt it necessary to publicly express his commitment to the club amid speculation he would be tempted by the riches of the Chinese Super League as he spent more and more time on the sidelines.
Certainly a lot of the time this season it has seemed easy for any claim that he is a United ‘legend’ to be dismissed.
His absence from the latest England squad only goes to strengthen the opinion that his time as a regular for his country, likewise his club, is now in the past.
