Fabian Delph to captain England and hand armband to Wayne Rooney when he comes on against USA
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate also confirmed the record goalscorer will wear the number 10 shirt for his farewell appearance at Wembley
Fabian Delph will captain England against the USA and hand the armband over to Wayne Rooney when he comes on, Gareth Southgate has confirmed.
The Three Lions boss also revealed record-goalscorer Rooney will wear the number 10 shirt as he makes his farewell appearance at Wembley on Thursday night.
A lot of the attention in the build-up has centred around the decision to award Rooney the chance to wave goodbye to the international scene, and while England's most-capped outfield player will take the armband at some point on the night, it will be Delph who leads his country for the first time.
"Fabian is captain tomorrow night, and the players are keen that Wayne wears the number 10 and we believe that is a fitting tribute," said Southgate.
“All of our group have huge respect for Wayne and they feel it’s fitting that his last game should be the number 10.
“When he puts that shirt on his wall somewhere at the end of his career, [we hope] it’s been a special night and the 10 is the number he has there."
Manchester City midfielder Delph paid tribute to Rooney ahead of the friendly and promised the players will give him a night to remember.
He said: "When I first came into the England set-up, Wayne was captain and welcomed me and made me feel at home. As soon as he comes on tomorrow, I will be giving him that armband back.
"We will give him a guard of honour. It will be a huge night for Wayne and we want to make it special for him."
Southgate again defended the decision to award Rooney a farewell at Wembley just three days before a crunch Nations League fixture against Croatia, and claimed it will not affect their preparations.
“It’s been disappointing to see him almost having to defend his inclusion in the game.
"I think it is fitting and having seen him in training, it won't change the quality of what we are trying to do, but we have to balance it with trying to get some of the younger players some time ahead of Sunday (when they play Croatia)," he said.
"It is very important to all of us that he gets the right sort of send off. There is enormous respect in this team for all ex-players, and they want to make it really positive for Wayne and his family."
Rooney's call-up has received a mixed reception, but Southgate added: "Our supporters are well aware of the contribution Wayne has made to England and that he is our record goalscorer, which is an incredible achievement.
"It is a very special night for him and I know there are many supporters who want to pay thanks."