Wayne Rooney to retire from England duty after 2018 World Cup

Rooney replaced Steven Gerrard as captain after the 2014 World Cup, but Allardyce would not confirm if the Manchester United captain would keep the role, when he was unveiled as England manager.

“We have had to make a few hard decisions and none more so than Ross Barkley”, Allardyce said yesterday.

The 61-year-old might also have mentioned the lack of obvious alternatives, with Joe Hart and Chris Smalling now out-of-favour at their clubs, while the likes of Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier and Harry Kane are still making their way with England.

“I’m not old, but come Russian Federation I feel it will be time for me to say goodbye to global football. We’ve seen some fabulous players in cricket who couldn’t handle the captaincy”, he said.

He added: “My mind is made up”. I’ve enjoyed some highs, some lows but I am an immensely proud man.

Rooney made his debut for England at the age of 17 in 2003 and was named to the UEFA team of the tournament at Euro 2004 the following year.

“It’s there everywhere you go and, when the new season starts, it’s there in away games”, Rooney said of that most recent tournament failure.

“Ross is a hard one because he has been playing quite well since the start of the season and the change of position for Wayne made it a little hard to pick Ross”, said the former Sunderland manager. “I think it’s a deserved call-up and I’m sure he’s anxious to get out on the training pitch and show Sam what he can do at this level”. “After the World Cup in Russian Federation, looking at the next tournament I’ll be 34 and so it is the right time for me to stop playing”.

“We want to have two players in each position and not leave ourselves short”.

“Since then and on holiday and back at Manchester United I have not had much to think about”.

Allardyce suggested that, rather than seeing Rooney in competition with Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge for the centre-forward’s spot, he regards the United player primarily as a No. 10, playing behind the striker. “Sometimes, it is hard to go from one position to another and keep changing”. I hopefully want to finish my career at United. “I’d like to, of course”, he said. “I felt at the time that he was the top goalscorer in the Premier League”.

Allardyce was criticised by some fans while at West Ham for not playing what they called “the West Ham way”.

“If he gets the best out of the players we’ve got then he’ll do well because the ability is there”.

For his country, that will be two more years.