Lothar Matthaus has suggested Wayne Rooney should retire from international football, turning his focus solely to Manchester United so that England’s youthful side can move forward.
Rooney captained the side at a tournament for the first time this summer, with Euro 2016 proving to be a disaster for the Three Lions.
A lacklustre group stage, which saw one victory in three matches, was followed-up by an embarrassing defeat to debutants Iceland.
The United No.10 struck the opening goal through a penalty, but England were overturned by two Iceland strikes within the next 14 minutes.
Matthaus, who won the World Cup and European Championships during his stellar career with West Germany, believes Rooney should now step down from the national side.
The ITV pundit wrote for The Sun: “Wayne Rooney has had a great career for England. You look at his caps, his goals, including the ones he has scored at major tournaments.
“But Iceland has to be his last game for the national team, I’m afraid. It will be good for him — but also good for England.
“When they beat Germany 3-2 in Berlin in March without Rooney, England were a different team in their approach and mentality.
“When things are going wrong in a team, it needs a leader. Sadly, when his team needed him, Rooney was not that leader.
“Rooney should say, ‘It is time for me to focus on Manchester United, we have a new manager and I need to give my best to the club’.”
The 30-year-old lost his place as United’s centre-forward this season due to the rise of Marcus Rashford, with Louis van Gaal dropping the skipper into a midfield position.
He initially seemed to thrive in the role for the Red Devils, with his success rate in Premier League duels increasing by 20%.
Roy Hodgson used him in that deeper role for England, too, with Rooney playing in all four games at Euro 2016.
Rooney created a squad-high 10 chances across those fixtures, but failed to register an assist.
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