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Wayne Rooney England recall decision to be based on fitness of his rivals
Gareth Southgate will check on the fitness of his England forwards before making a final decision on whether or not to hand Wayne Rooney an international recall.
Rooney has forced his way back in the thoughts of Southgate, following two goals in his first two Premier League games for Everton – the second of which was in front of the England manager against Manchester City on Monday night.
But Rooney, England’s record goalscorer, may be reliant on the fitness of others as he waits to find out whether or not he will be included in Southgate’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.
Strikers Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford will all be selected if fit, but Jermain Defoe could be sweating on his place after failing to start either of Bournemouth’s first two games.
In the number 10 position, where Rooney has played for Everton, Southgate has Dele Alli, who is fit and has started well for Tottenham Hotspur. Adam Lallana is out injured, but midfielder Jordan Henderson will return to the England squad.
Southgate is also considering handing a first senior call-up to Nathaniel Chalobah, following the midfielder’s summer move from Chelsea to Watford.
Rooney claimed he would speak with Southgate before the England squad is named on Thursday, having not played for the Three Lions since the World Cup qualifier against Scotland last November.
Southgate has never ruled out the possibility of recalling Rooney, but has attempted to move on from the 31-year-old by sharing around the captaincy in his absence.
Harry Kane skippered England for their last two games against Scotland and France, and the striker is expected to be given the captaincy on a permanent basis.
Leicester City’s Harry Maguire could come into contention for one of the central defensive spots, although Southgate has John Stones, Gary Cahill, John Stones, Michael Keane, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling all available to him.