Wednesday 22 March 2017 07:16, UK
Gareth Southgate has suggested Wayne Rooney needs to be playing more regularly for Manchester United if he is to keep his place with England.
The England captain was left out of Southgate's squad for matches against Germany and Lithuania due to a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines for the past two weeks.
Rooney has endured a frustrating campaign at United and has become a regular on the substitutes' bench under Jose Mourinho, starting just nine matches in the Premier League.
The 31-year-old has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford at the end of the season as a result and Southgate admits he wants every England international playing regular first-team football.
When asked about Rooney's situation, Southgate said: "Whether it is young players in our system or senior players in our system, the desire is to see English players playing regularly in the biggest possible matches.
"The more players that you have available to select, that are playing in games that matter, games for teams that are pushing for the title, games that are cup finals, latter stages of the Champions League, the latter stages of the Europa League, there the games you want your players involved in.
"So, the level and the step to big international matches is minimal."
Gary Cahill will captain England against Germany on Wednesday at Signal Iduna Park in the absence of Rooney in what will be Southgate's first match since being confirmed as Sam Allardyce's successor.
England are yet to taste defeat under Southgate and will be aiming to record successive wins over Germany for the first time since the 1930s having defeated their opponents 3-2 in a friendly last March.
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