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Wayne Rooney NOT in England starting XI: Decision over striker omission explained
WAYNE ROONEY has NOT been included in England’s starting XI to face USA tonight.
Wayne Rooney returns to Wembley for final England match
England legend Wayne Rooney will make his final appearance for the Three Lions at Wembley.
England play the USA in a friendly at the Home of Football, with proceeds going to the Wayne Rooney foundation.
But the striker will NOT feature in the starting lineup for Gareth Southgate’s men this evening.
Instead, he will be on the bench for kick off at Wembley.
The decision to start Rooney on the bench may surprise many England football fans who were expecting him to make an immediate return to the side.
This is effectively a Rooney testimonial, although it remains an official England friendly.
Yet the decision has been made to start Rooney on the bench - for the first half at least.
At half time, Rooney is expected to be handed the captain’s armband from Fabian Delph and don the famous white shirt for one last time.
An agreement is in place for Rooney to play the second half of the fixture - but not the first.
Wayne Rooney is England’s all-time top goalscorer in 53 goals to his name.
His last international goal came in 2016 when England were knocked out of the European Championships to Iceland.
Rooney now plies his trade at DC United and helped his side reach the MLS playoffs this season - although they lost on penalties to Columbus Crew in the first round.
Discussing the match on pitch-side before kick off, Rooney said: “It will be a little bit strange coming back, playing my last game here at Wembley.
“I’m sure there will be a few nerves beforehand. I’m emotional as well.
“As a moment I’ve been here many times but to know it’s my last one, I have my family here to be a part of it all, so it’s a special moment.
“More importantly it’s a chance to try and raise money for the children who so desperately need it. So hopefully we can do that.”
England XI: Pickford, Alexander Arnold, Keane, Dunk, Chilwell, Delph, Winks, Alli, Lingard, Sancho, Wilson.