Wayne Rooney to remain England captain under interim boss Gareth Southgate

Interim England manager Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Wayne Rooney will remain as captain.

Questions over the Manchester United striker's retention of the armband were raised following Sam Allardyce's appointment as Roy Hodgson's successor.

Allardyce opted to keep Rooney as leader of the Three Lions despite the 30-year-old's lack of form, but uncertainty surrounds the attacker's future once again following a managerial change at the Football Association.

Allardyce was forced to step down from his role after being accused by The Telegraph of telling a fake Far East investment firm how to "get around" the FA's ban on third-party ownership of players.

Southgate will take charge of the senior team until a permanent replacement is hired, and the England Under-21 boss has confirmed that Rooney will keep the captain's armband.

England will face Malta on October 8 and Slovenia three days later as they continue their World Cup qualifying campaign.