Wayne Rooney will get chance to impress Gareth Southgate as England boss plans to attend Europa League play-off tie against Hajduk Split
- Wayne Rooney will get a chance to impress Gareth Southgate this week
- He will need to show why he deserves to have his England career resurrected
- The 31-yeear-old forward was left out of Southgate’s last England squad
Wayne Rooney will have his chance to impress Gareth Southgate this week and show why he deserves to have his England career resurrected ahead of next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Rooney, 31, was left out of Southgate’s last squad but the Three Lions boss is planning to travel to watch Everton’s Europa League play-off tie against Hajduk Split this Thursday.
Southgate will also be at Old Trafford for Manchester United against West Ham on Sunday, meaning Joe Hart likewise has his chance to show why he should stay England’s No 1. His assistant Steve Holland, the former Chelsea coach, will be there too.
Wayne Rooney will have his chance to impress Gareth Southgate this week
The England boss plans to watch Everton’s Europa League play-off tie against Hajduk Split
Hart, who is in loan at West Ham from Manchester City, will be making his first Premier League appearance since May 2016 and has several goalkeepers breathing down his neck.
Everton’s Jordan Pickford, Burnley’s Tom Heaton and Stoke City’s Jack Butland are among those who are looking to impress Southgate this season.
Southgate was also at Arsenal Leicester City on Friday night with Holland as they prepare to put together a squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.
Those two matches are on September 1 and 4, leaving the England manager with little time to do his homework ahead of announcing his selections.
Rooney has not featured in Southgate’s last two squads — the first due to fitness issues and the second simply because others beat him to it. Harry Kane captained England in the 3-2 loss to France in June.
Rooney (left) in action during Thursday's training session at Finch Farm
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