Wayne Rooney out of starting 11 in England’s WC clash vs Slovenia
Wayne Rooney will not start when England clash with Slovenia in their Group F World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.
Gareth Southgate confirmed the status of Rooney a day before the encounter, with the latter saying he respects the decision of the interim Three Lions manager.
In Rooney’s absence, Jordan Henderson was tasked to wear the captain’s armband, while Eric Dier will start.
Rooney is England's record goalscorer but he has only found the mark once in 12 appearances for club and country this season.
He was booed during a midfield stint in the Three Lions' 2-0 win over Malta at Wembley last Saturday. But Rooney claimed he did not hear the jeers.
“I understand and respect the manager's decision,” Rooney said during a pre-match media conference. “You want to play but I will support the players 100 per cent and be ready to come on if needed.”
He added: “I show great pride playing for my country, whether that's from the bench or from the start. Of course, you want to be on the pitch but my role as captain won't change off the pitch. If selected I am available to play. I love playing for my country. I've made it clear what my plans were and they won't change.”
Southgate said the decision was tactical and insisted omitting Rooney is not related to his performances.
“It was not an easy decision to make because of the respect I have for him as the captain of this team, but we felt it was the right one,” said Southgate, who is calling the shots after the exit of Sam Allardyce.
The Slovenia-England match will be held at Stadion Stozice in Ljubljana. The Three Lions lead Group F with six points, while Slovenia are third with four points, just behind Scotland on goal difference.