England's Wayne Rooney singled out for praise by Roy Hodgson

Wayne Rooney

Roy Hodgson has heralded Wayne Rooney as England’s Captain Fantastic.

The Three Lions boss believes Rooney’s two performances at Euro 2016 so far, against Russia and Wales, have proved he was fully justified to keep faith with his skipper when others were claiming he was finished.

The emergence of Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane over the past 12 months has coincided with the Manchester United striker slipping into a midfield role for both club and country as he enters the veteran years of his career.

And Hodgson reckons the 30-year-old has proved the critics wrong as England have moved to the brink of qualifying for the last 16.

“If there’s one player who deserves a pat on the back, then it’s Wayne Rooney,” he said.

 “I always thought that if we could get Wayne doing a job in midfield then we would get a lot out if him - because we would be getting a goal-scorer from distance, a passer of the ball, as well as all that experience he brings to the captaincy.

“I admit that I had to wait and see with Wayne, but he has played in midfield for Manchester United so I knew he could do it. He has showed a fantastic work-rate, desire and composure at these Euros.

“Wayne is one of the guys who is prepared to stay on the ball that little bit longer and make the extra pass and not be tempted by the killer pass or killer shot.

"Wayne has been playing for England for over 12 years and he is now 30 with over 100 caps.

"So there was always going to be a time - especially when some young bucks come on the scene who run like gazelles and sprint like the wind - that it was time for him to move back a little bit.”

“I would still be prepared to use him as a front player - and against Wales I thought about swapping him and Adam Lallana over.” Hodgson added.

"But the fact is - and I’m not trying to be arrogant here - I never paid attention to those who said Wayne Rooney should be dropped or left out of the 23.

“If you are the England captain and you are Wayne Rooney, then you are never far away from the headlines. It goes with the territory. But we analyse his performances and we know what he can do for us.

 “I have never paid attention to what other people say about him.”

Hodgson also feels that handing Rooney the captaincy when he began rebuilding the England team two years ago after a disastrous World Cup in Brazil is also reaping dividends.

“The whole squad has changed in the last couple of years. We have a togetherness, we’ve got a character and we’ve made strides forward.”

 “We are still young, so there are a lot more strides to take, but as a group they have done very well - and obviously Wayne has very much played his part as the senior player and captain of the team.”