Wednesday, 30th July, 2014
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand believes that Wayne Rooney is the natural choice to become the next England captain.
With Steven Gerrard’s retirement from international duty, the England captaincy is up for grabs before the start of the 2016 European Championship qualifiers later this year.
"You look at other countries, the natural progression would be Wayne getting it now", the former England captain was quoted as saying by ITV.
Ferdinand, who has earned 81 caps for England, feels that Rooney is the natural choice to become the next captain as he is currently the most experienced player in the Three Lions squad.
Despite the criticism Rooney received for his performances in the World Cup, the former Manchester United defender believes that the striker is still a very influential figure in the England set-up.
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"With other countries it's usually the guy with the most caps, or who is most influential.
"And I think Wayne is the most influential player that England have got at the moment, now Steven has gone.
"It would seem like a natural progression."
The Manchester United striker has earned 95 international caps for the Three Lions and has scored 40 goals on the international stage.
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