Tuesday 23 August 2016 16:45, UK
Sam Allardyce will name his England captain by the end of the week after making the decision a priority.
Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ at St George's Park, Allardyce talked in glowing terms about Wayne Rooney, the man who was on armband duties under previous manager Roy Hodgson.
The 61-year-old did not confirm whether Rooney will continue in the role or not but made no secret of his appreciation of his capabilities.
"He's England captain, he's the most successful England player for the past decade and has broken every record at international level so we should talk about how good a player he is," said Allardyce, who left Sunderland to take over from Hodgson, following England's poor performance at Euro 2016.
"The first thing I will tell the public and the media is who is going to be the captain, just to get that one out of the way and then the selection will be a bit later on in the week."
Rooney has played just behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a number 10 for Manchester United this season but was employed as a central midfielder by Hodgson at Euro 2016.
Allardyce feels players should see getting in the starting England line-up as their primary ambition and spoke of the success he has enjoyed in the past when using people in new positions.
"Why can't we be flexible?" Allardyce said. "In my time, over the past 25 years, it's been about being flexible and asking the players to sometimes play in positions they don't usually play in.
"Sometimes I've asked a player to play in a new position and they haven't wanted to go back to their old position.
"So, yes, we have to be flexible and get people to do a job. If you're playing for England it's about being in the first XI."
