Wayne Rooney retains England captaincy

Sam Allardyce has announced that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will remain as captain of England.

The 61-year-old refused to be drawn on the topic when he was unveiled as the Three Lions' new boss last month, instead delaying a decision until the build-up to his first game in charge away to Slovakia later this week.

It had been rumoured that Allardyce would usher in a new era for the national side by installing a new skipper, but the former Sunderland chief has retained faith in Rooney, who he believes is the ideal man for the job heading into the World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign.

"Wayne has been an excellent captain for England and the manner in which he has fulfilled the role made it an easy decision for me to ask him to continue," Allardyce told the Football Association's official website.

"Wayne's record speaks for itself. He is the most senior member of the squad and he is hugely respected by his peers. All of these factors point towards him being the right choice to lead the team."

Rooney, who inherited the armband from Steven Gerrard following the disastrous World Cup 2014 campaign, is now in line for his 116th England appearance in Sunday's meeting with Slovakia in Trnava - putting him ahead of David Beckham and behind only Peter Shilton in the list of the nation's overall capped list.