Sunday 1 January 2017 14:42, UK
England boss Gareth Southgate believes the attention on Wayne Rooney is unparalleled as he speaks exclusively to Sky Sports about the player's future.
Rooney's performances have come under scrutiny this year, with both Southgate and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho opting to drop the 31-year-old on occasion.
But despite a starting role being no guarantee, Rooney has been backed by both managers and remains the official captain for club and country.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News HQ, Southgate spoke of the important role Rooney continues to play within the England team.
"In terms of Wayne, I have been impressed by the role he fulfils within the camp," Southgate said.
"Within the squad he is by far the most experienced and decorated player we have, and he clearly has the respect of all the group.
"He has taken a huge burden of leadership for the team over the past couple of years and I know Roy [Hodgson] in particular was delighted with how he captained his team."
Under Southgate, Rooney has started just two of England's four games, and though he missed the friendly against Spain through injury, plans were already afoot to start that match without him.
Jordan Henderson took the armband in Rooney's absence, indicating that Southgate is keeping his options open during their World Cup qualifying campaign.
And with more than three months until England's next fixture, Southgate concedes much can change before the announcement of his next squad.
"The challenge for all of the players is come March, how are they playing and how much they can contribute to the team," Southgate added.
"I've said that Wayne is the England captain, but I've also had to caveat that by saying I've only picked him for two of the four matches.
"I know he realises he might not play every game with his club at the moment, and that might be the same with the national team - but if players are playing well and are in form, then they make the decision for the manager really.
"With Wayne, his world is different to the rest of the squad, because I don't think there's anybody else you'd ask as many questions about."
In November, pictures emerged of Rooney drinking at the team hotel following England's 3-0 win over Scotland, while many of his team-mates had reportedly gone into London to celebrate.
The FA came out to say they would review what players are allowed to do in their free time, though no punishment was handed to Rooney or any other member of the squad.
"Discipline's an interesting word," Southgate said. "What is discipline? In my view, it's not having a load of rules and thinking that makes a disciplined environment.
"For me, it's an opportunity to establish a way of working as a team. There were things that I wanted to establish immediately in terms of how we played and trained, and now we can focus on what the next couple of years will look like for us, looking towards Russia and what standards we will want to set."
