Marcus Rashford has branded Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney “a massive influence” for England, firmly denying suggestions that the 31-year-old’s international career is finished.
Rooney, 31, is England’s all-time leading goalscorer on 53 goals, but the forward was not included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Saturday’s 2018 World Cup qualifier with Scotland.
It has been claimed that Rooney will now be phased out of the picture after struggling for Man United last term, but 19-year-old Rashford has insisted that his club teammate’s international career is “nowhere near over”.
Rashford told BBC Sport:
“Wayne is a massive influence around the whole squad. He still has a lot to do in his career. There’s still a lot trophies he’ll hope to be playing for. Knowing Wayne, it’s nowhere near over.”
Rooney made his England debut in 2003, and has since been capped on 119 occasions by his nation.
The former Everton striker only scored five Premier League goals for Man United last season, however, and his lack of first-team football has impacted on his position for England.
Rashford, on the other hand, became the youngest Englishman to score in his first senior international game when he netted in a friendly against Australia ahead of Euro 2016 last summer, and is very much in the plans of Southgate moving forward.
