Wednesday 30 March 2016 07:54, UK
Captain Wayne Rooney is excited by the competition in England's squad ahead of Euro 2016 and is not taking his starting place for granted.
Rooney is sidelined with a knee injury and whether he will start when England open the tournament against Russia on June 11 has been a hot topic during the run of international friendlies over the last week.
The Manchester United striker has seen Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy produce excellent performances in his absence, both players scoring in the 3-2 win over Germany on Saturday and Vardy opening the scoring against the Netherlands at Wembley on Tuesday.
And Rooney says he cannot afford to assume that, just because Roy Hodgson selected him as his captain in 2014, he is guaranteed a place in his best starting XI.
Rooney was a studio guest of ITV for the Netherlands friendly, and he said: "As I've said throughout my career with Manchester United and England, I never take my place for granted.
"Obviously you want to play, and it is great that that competition is now there. With the quality we have got, it is exciting to be a part of.
"I can't wait to get back fit and back out there with the lads. Certainly it is something I enjoy doing and I want to keep doing. I want to keep going and get ready.
"First of all I want England to be successful and win trophies, and obviously it is great if I can be a part of that.
"I believe it is an opportunity for us to do really well in the summer and obviously the decision is down to Roy Hodgson, but I want to be there, involved and trying to help and hopefully leading the team to being successful."
Rooney also confirmed previous reports that he is targeting a return to action in April, potentially after their FA Cup quarter-final clash with West Ham.
He said: "If everything goes according to plan, I'm back outside running now and I'm hoping to be full training within the next week or 10 days, so not too far away."
