Former England captain David Beckham says that he is not surprised at the fact that manager Roy Hodgson has decided to hand Wayne Rooney the captaincy after the recent retirements of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. The Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder were some of the leaders left in the team going into the World Cup 2014, which turned out to be a major disappointment for England after they were knocked out of the group stages. It was heavily speculated that it would the duo’s final tournament for England and it has turned out to be the case after they announced their international retirement in the space of a few weeks.
Speculation about the next England captain has been mounting ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifiers and Hodgson put an end to the speculation by naming Rooney as his captain. The former Everton star, who was recently named as Manchester United’s captain, will now have huge pressure on his shoulders. Rooney has previously been criticised for failing to deliver at the international level. He managed to score only his first World Cup goal in nine appearances at the Brazil edition. Despite this, former England captain Beckham says that Rooney is probably right candidate to lead the team going forward.
Beckham has captained the England team on 59 occasions before retiring from football only recently. “It’s no surprise to me at all that Wayne has been made captain. He is one of the most experienced players in the team and the most respected player in the team. Young players will look up to him for inspiration; he’s a player who wears his heart on his sleeve. Wayne’s such a great talent, such a great player, people love him, fans love him and it’s great to see him with the armband. It’s something I know he’ll cherish,” said Beckham.