England 1-2 Iceland: Wayne Rooney does not plan to retire from international football
The captain has dismissed the idea he will walk away from the world stage after the loss in Nice.
England captain Wayne Rooney has no plans to retire from international football despite England's shock exit from Euro 2016. The Three Lions were dumped out of the tournament in Nice last night (27 June) by lowly Iceland, but Rooney has rubbished suggestions he will walk away from the international game.
The England skipper scored from the penalty spot early on in their round-of-16 clash before they conceded goals to Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. The defeat was arguably the worst England have ever suffered in a major tournament – but Rooney insisted he has no plans to quit.
"It's disappointing tonight, but I enjoy and am proud playing for England," the Manchester United star said, according to The Mirror. "I'll be interested to see who the next manager is. If selected, I'll certainly be there."
Despite their disappointing exit, Rooney also defended the international record of manager Roy Hodgson, who announced his resignation shortly after the full-time whistle. The 30-year-old stressed that Hodgson has done a good job in promoting young players to the senior team, like his United teammate Marcus Rashford.
"We can't forget he's brought a lot of young players through and I think the future's bright for England," said Rooney, who was replaced by his United clubmate late in the game in Nice. "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."
Following Hodgson's resignation, England under-21 boss Gareth Southgate has been installed as the early favourite for the post. However, former England captain Alan Shearer has also expressed an interest in the position, despite his lack of managerial experience.
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