Wayne Rooney: 'I don't think I will ever walk away' from England duty, says Three Lions captain
Rooney won his 100th cap and scored his 44th goal against Slovenia
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Your support makes all the difference.Wayne Rooney has revealed he will never stand down from England on his own accord.
After collecting his 100th cap, and with the all-time caps and goals record in the offing, he is in no hurry to call it a day.
Rooney, at 29, has time on his side compared to his fellow centurions who stood aside after reaching their milestones.
But Rooney insists he will continue for club and country until he is given the push.
“A lot of the players I have played with – Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand – have retired from internationals,” he said.
“I actually spoke to my wife about it - I said it’s mad how all the players are retiring.
“She was the one who said to me: ‘It’s a short career, you have plenty of time to have your time off with us as a family when you finish playing and you will regret it if you do’ [retire from internationals].
“I obviously thought ‘yes I would’. Football is what I love doing and I love playing for my country. I don’t think I ever would walk away.”
Rooney is prepared to re-invent himself to extend his stay at the top. “I always believe I have the quality to play different roles,” he said.
“I’ve watched many games and always taken notice of how midfield players are playing. That will really help extend my career, to be in more control of a game rather than being an impact player.”
Rooney insists burnout is not an issue. Putting his feet up for Tuesday’s fiery friendly with Scotland is not an option.
“It won’t be a friendly, this is massive,” he added. “It’s bragging rights for everyone. I’ve been looking forward to it since the fixture was made.”
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