9:23 AM
Dhinesh
Wayne Rooney has been named England's new captain by manager Roy Hodgson.
Rooney was recently appointed Manchester United's new skipper by boss Louis van Gaal and had been widely tipped to take the armband for country as well as club.
Steven Gerrard relinquished the role when he announced his retirement from international duty in the aftermath of England’s disappointing World Cup campaign in Brazil.
Chelsea's Gary Cahill and Manchester City's Joe Hart had also been touted as potential successors to Gerrard but Hodgson, speaking at a press conference on Thursday to announce his latest England squad, said Rooney was "an obvious choice".
"It would be unfair to some of the other players like Joe Hart and Gary Cahill, who are experienced players in the international team and play at very, very big clubs, to say that Wayne was the only choice but I think for most people it was Wayne's time, it was his moment and it would have been a mistake to overlook him."
Asked if he expected his decision to spur Rooney on to greater heights, a cautious Hodgson said: "I try to shy away from that, I think it's dangerous to demand that of people.
"(The captaincy) takes you on to a new level but with 95 caps and all the goals he's scored, all the things he's done, we've already seen he's prepared to take responsibility.
"We hope he continues to push on, he continues to play well and he shoulders the responsibility of the captaincy as well as the other captains before him."
