Wayne Rooney should have retired from international football after Euro 2016, says ex-England captain Peter Shilton.
Rooney, 30, made his 116th appearance for England in Sunday’s World Cup qualifying victory over Slovakia.
But his value to the team has become a hot topic after he spent most of the game playing in a deep midfield role.
“I thought he should have retired after the Euros – and it’s not because he can break my record,” said Shilton, who has 125 caps. “He’s not a midfield player.”
The former Nottingham Forest, Leicester, Stoke and Southampton goalkeeper, 66, added: “He sprays a few balls around but I don’t think he’s being very effective.”
Rooney did not touch the ball once in the Slovakia penalty area but England’s captain and record goalscorer says the debate over his role in the team has been an “overreaction” following the 1-0 win in Trnava.
“I played in that role and helped us win the game,” Rooney, who has scored 53 goals for his country, told Sky Sports: “Too much is getting made about it.”
In his post-match interview, new England boss Sam Allardyce said it was “not for me to say” where Rooney should play and said the Manchester United forward could play “wherever he wanted”.
But former Norwich, Blackburn and Celtic striker Chris Sutton, who won one cap for England, said such an approach was damaging.
“With Rooney in a deep-lying midfield role for most of the match, Harry Kane was isolated up front and it killed his game,” Sutton told the Daily Mail.
“Rooney can’t pick and choose where he plays, it’s not a testimonial.
“He is a lovely passer and technician but if he’s not playing to Kane’s strengths then the whole team suffer.”
Rooney says he will retire after the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, by which stage he is likely to have overtaken Shilton as England’s most-capped player.
