Wayne Rooney Faces Race For Russia

Captain Wayne Rooney has been left out of the England for the upcoming matches against both Scotland and France next month, with just 12 months to go before manager Gareth Southgate names his squad for the 2018 World Cup (yes there is an assumption that England will qualify but it will take an almighty collapse for it not to happen) questions will now be asked as to whether Rooney makes it to Russia next year.

There is already uncertainty over his Manchester United career and that has now spilled into his status as an ongoing member of the England squad. A year is an incredibly long time in Football so we should write Rooney off just yet but you now get the feeling that if he is to prolong his career then it is going to require a move away from Old Trafford.

Rooney is on 119 caps for England and that means he is only 6 away from equalling Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances for the Three Lions but with a retirement of international duty already announced for next season he is running out of matches in which to surpass the legendary Shilton.

If Rooney can facilitate a move to a Premier League club this Summer then there is every chance that he can play his way back into Gareth Southgate’s plans for the World Cup but should he move to the Chinese Super League as has been reported then he is all but calling time on his England days.

That is something the 31 year old will have to consider as after starting only 15 Premier League matches for Manchester United this season you do have to wonder just how he fits into the side next season especially if Jose Mourinho’s spends as much as he did last season in a bid to bridge the gap at the top.

He already has the record for top England goalscorer so maybe he is happy enough with that but deep down you would imagine he will be also wanting to take the appearances record for himself also, he now just needs to weigh up if a move to try and regain his England status is going to be most beneficial.

There is no doubting that this is going to be an important couple of months for Rooney although the repercussions could be felt for a lot longer. Does Rooney stick or twist and if he does twist will it ultimately result in an England recall?

Here is the 25 man squad in full for the fixtures against Scotland and France

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, on loan from Man City), Tom Heaton (Burnley);

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Phil Jones (Man Utd), Chris Smalling (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Tottenham);

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Man Utd), Jake Livermore (West Brom), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Man City);

Forwards: Jermain Defoe (Sunderland), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Jamie Vardy (Leicester).