Wayne Rooney to remain England captain under new manager Sam Allardyce

Wayne Rooney will remain England captain under new manager Sam Allardyce. The 30-year-old Manchester United skipper is poised to become England's most capped outfield player when he leads his side out against Slovakia on Sunday, surpassing David Beckham's tally of 116 caps.

And he will do so once again wearing the captain's armband. "Wayne has been an excellent captain for England and the manner in which he has fulfilled the role made it an easy decision for me to ask him to continue," said Allardyce.

"Wayne's record speaks for itself. He is the most senior member of the squad and he is hugely respected by his peers.

"All of these factors point towards him being the right choice to lead the team."

Rooney captained England at Euro 2016, a hugely disappointing campaign that ended in a humiliating defeat to Iceland that cost Roy Hodgson his job. Under new management, they begin their quest to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Slovakia on Sunday (4 September).

Which position the England skipper will play has also been a major talking point ahead of Allardyce's first game in charge. The former Everton starlet was frequently deployed in a central midfield role by his former club manager Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford last season. New United manager Jose Mourinho now insists he has no plans for England's record goal scorer to return to that deeper role.

Rooney also took up a midfield role for England under Hodgson at Euro 2016 but Allardyce has suggested he will follow Mourinho's lead and play his captain in a position just off the striker.

"Wayne Rooney's position has changed at Manchester United and that is where I will play him," Allardyce said. "Dele Alli has started well, too, so that makes it a difficult choice. We'll wait and see, but we are looking at balance of positions.

"We want to have two players in each position and not leave ourselves short. Hopefully we make that selection after this [training camp] and we know the best XI to start with."