Rooney: Next England manager doesn´t have to be English

Wayne Rooney says England’s new manager does not have to be English, following the resignation of Roy Hodgson after his team’s poor Euro 2016 campaign.

Speculation is mounting that Gareth Southgate, currently in charge of the nation’s under-21 team, is set to take on the role even if only on an interim basis.

But England captain Rooney said, while an English manager is preferable, the nationality of the new boss does not matter.

“Of course it’s better if he’s English, but he has to be the right man for the job. He has to have the credentials and the ability to be able to do the job,” Rooney said.

“Whether he’s English or not we’ll wait and see.

“He needs to put his stamp on the team, whoever he is.”

Rooney has worked under two foreign managers while playing for England, first Sven-Goran Eriksson and then Fabio Capello.

And whoever gets the nod, Rooney said they should be excited about the prospect of leading England.

“I know one thing – if I was the manager coming in, I’d be very excited. It’s difficult to see now, but we do have a good squad, an exciting squad,” he said.

“Whoever comes in will have a tough job, but have the players to move us on from where we are and take us one step further.

“I’ve always tried to give honest answers to the questions I’m asked and we’ve never played with any fear. We’ve never played with any fear in this tournament as we have in the past.

“We just haven’t been clinical enough [at the Euros], and it’s cost us.”