Wayne Rooney has been a great servant to his country in central midfield. The England captain pulled the strings in the Three Lions’ famous Euro 2016 campaign, which included memorable matches against Wales and Iceland among others.

He then marshalled the side that gained an irrefutable 1-0 victory against Slovakia in Sam Allardyce’s first game as manager – running around the middle area of the pitch and kicking the ball into various places with his feet.

No one can dispute Rooney’s contribution to England’s midfield, where he has been a dominant character since he began playing there in May 2016, completing hundreds of passes – some of them in a forward direction.

But with younger players emerging, is it time for Rooney to utilise his experience and knowhow further down the pitch?

Is it time for this England hero to boldly take the next step on his record-breaking journey? Defence.

Formerly known as a prolific striker, having amassed an unmatched total of 53 goals for his country, even the legendary Alex Ferguson once predicted that Rooney would eventually drop successfully into a “deeper” role as he matured like a rich French cheese.

Sir Alex may not have been specifically referring to the defence, but with Rooney’s powers waning in midfield, it increasingly seems the logical solution.

Rooney is not getting any younger. He is, by contrast, getting older, at an unrelenting rate of one day every 24 hours. By the time the next World Cup comes around, he is set to be a minimum of 21 months older than he is today.

While retaining the ability to look stylish on the ball against opponents who give him time to do as he pleases, Rooney is no longer dynamic enough to match the energy of the modern box-to-box midfielder.

He is, in fact, more comfortable taking up the traditional libero position than going toe-to-toe with these lither, fitter athletes. As such, Rooney was frequently seen positioning himself closer to England’s back four than their forwards in the Slovakia match.

This is nothing new. As a much younger man, Rooney was lauded and vilified in equal measure for his determination to track back. Lauded because his work-rate and fighting spirit were admirable; vilified because he should have been concentrating on his attacking duties instead.

But the beauty of a dedicated defensive position is that Rooney will finally be released from the shackles of scoring and creating goals, instead having the freedom to launch himself hungrily into tackles with gay abandon and spend as much time in his own half as he likes.

Rooney’s fiery temperament, which we have been repeatedly told he would not be the same player without, would be much more useful in a defensive role where he can usefully channel his anger into harassing and intimidating strikers, rather than referees.

New England manager Allardyce has already shown he is in awe of the captain and is happy to let the history-making Scouser play wherever it suits him.

“It’s not for me to say where he’s going to play. I think he has a lot more experience at international football than me,“ admitted Big Sam, who would clearly be open to the idea of Rooney dropping into the back-line if he fancies it.

There is no future for Rooney up front any more, while his days of midfield dominance (or more specifically day – England 1-1 Russia at Euro 2016) are also over, so selecting the Roonster alongside John Stones in central defence seems like a no-brainer for the next World Cup qualifier.

As for Manchester United, Rooney’s manager Jose Mourinho has so far employed him in an advanced role in his opening games. But with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial also vying for attacking positions, and Paul Pogba set to get top billing in midfield, it may be prudent for Rooney to reinvent himself at Old Trafford too.

He needs just four more goals to break Bobby Charlton’s United scoring record of 249, but he could easily get those even he played at right-back for the final three seasons of his contract.

Wherever he plays, the most important thing is that Rooney, as dual captain and living legend, continues to remain at the beating heart of English football. Because, you know, he just, like, should.

Follow @darlingkevin on Twitter

READ MORE VSFQs

No.43: Is anything in football immune from sponsorship?
No.42: Should West Ham never break their transfer record again?
No.41: Has David Sullivan ever thought about anything he has said prior to saying it?
No.40: Is Joe Ledley Europe’s hardest man?
No.39: How do Rafa Benitez’s plans compare with this time last year?
No.38: What is the best thing that happened in the best season?
No.37: Was Quique Sanchez Flores too sexy for English football?
No.36: What if Cesc Fabregas forgets how to play football again?
No.35: Do Aston Villa’s players need a cuddle?
No.34: Why does nobody want Alex Song?
No.33: Is Wes Morgan superhuman or just hard?
No.32: How has Miley Cyrus’s dad taken over football?
No.31: Should happy fans be allowed to invade the pitch?
No.30: Is Diego Costa just a big flirt?
No.29: Which manager has the best hair?
No.28: Can Louis van Gaal’s sexual power save him his job?
No.27: What was supposed to happen to Jack Collison?
No.26: Is ‘attractive’ football sustainable in the Premier League?
No.25: Has Mike Ashley found love?
No.24: What song should replace God Save the Queen?
No.23: Where is David O'Leary?
No.22: Was Andy Townsend’s Tactics Truck real?
No.21: Is Harry the Hornet out of control?
No.20: Will Claudio Ranieri now return to his own planet?
No.19: How funny is Gary Lineker?
No.18: Why do Valencia love Nevilles so much?
No.17: Does Jose Mourinho Google himself?
No.16: Would Lionel Messi represent Arsenal’s best use of £600,000 per week?
No.15: What on earth happened to Michu?
No.14: Will ‘the Robbie Savage Principle’ change the face of modern football?
No.13: Which injured player has been missed most in the Premier League?
No.12: Would it be a ‘blessing in disguise’ for Arsenal to get knocked out of the Champions League?
No.11: How is Jay Bothroyd going to get back into the England squad?
No.10: What would Rodgers be doing today if Gerrard hadn’t fallen over?
No.9: Why can’t Jose Mourinho win in Newcastle?
No.8: Is Claudio Ranieri actually an evil genius masquerading as a doddery simpleton?
No.7: Where is the real Branislav Ivanovic?
No.6: Which team has had the most disastrous Euro 2016 campaign (even worse than Holland and Greece)?
No.5: How many of Chelsea’s 33 on-loan players will ever become Blues first-team regulars?
No.4: Would West Ham getting £6m for Modibo Maiga be the best piece of business in football history?
No.3: When was the last time no English strikers scored on a Premier League weekend?
No.2: What terrible things would happen if Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll were reunited?
No.1: How much did Di Maria and Falcao cost Manchester United per bad touch?