Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has described club captain Wayne Rooney as England‘s best player for over a decade.
The 30-year-old striker is currently preparing to skipper the Three Lions for the first time at a major tournament after being given the armband following the disappointing 2014 World Cup campaign.
Without the likes of Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand to walk out with him, Rooney is now England’s most experienced player and must lead one of the youngest teams at this summer’s Euros, with an average age of 25.8.
And Mourinho has praised his captain while discussing his first game in charge of United at Old Trafford, which will be Rooney’s testimonial against Everton in August.
“Wayne is and has been England’s best player for over a decade,” said Mourinho, as reported by The Times. “This game will be a fitting tribute to everything he has achieved. I’m looking forward to what will be a very special night for us both.”
Rooney is England’s all-time top goalscorer having broken Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals earlier this season.
The 30-year-old has represented his country at five different international tournaments and will do so for a sixth time this summer.
He’s unlikely to start as a striker with Roy Hodgson possessing so much talent in that area, with Harry Kane favourite to lead the line, but Rooney’s maturity in his older years means that he’s able to drop a little deeper and support the attack instead.
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