Decision on Wayne Rooney’s England captaincy will be made once new manager is named as Gareth Southgate prepares for talks

FA said the captain's behavior 'set the wrong tone'
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Simon Johnson18 November 2016

A decision on whether to strip Wayne Rooney of the England captaincy will only be taken once a permanent manager is appointed by the Football Association.

It has been reported that Gareth Southgate, who is being interviewed on Monday and is expected to be confirmed as the full-time coach by the end of the month, has already decided to replace Rooney as skipper.

Standard Sport revealed this week Rooney is not facing disciplinary action, although the FA are clamping down on what players can do during time off while on international duty.

It is believed Southgate is annoyed that Rooney disobeyed his instructions to end a drinking session at a wedding reception in the team’s hotel on Saturday evening. A message was relayed to the Manchester United star to go to bed, but it has been claimed he briefly disappeared before returning to the party.

Rooney apologised unreservedly to both Southgate and technical director Dan Ashworth about his behaviour on Wednesday.

The FA are still investigating the events, including whether FA backroom staff were consuming alcohol with Rooney and if up to 10 players went out to a nightclub.

However, chief executive Martin Glenn was keen to underplay the incident, saying: “We’re getting a proper investigation of what actually went on. It’s disappointing. I think it’s appropriate he apologised because it doesn’t set a great tone for the England captain. But, that said, I don’t want to over-dramatise it, either.”

Rooney’s actions have come under even more scrutiny because he sustained a knee injury 24 hours earlier after apparently tripping over a bottle in the dressing room following the 3-0 win over Scotland.

Southgate maintains that Rooney was sent back to Manchester United on Monday due to the injury rather than for disciplinary reasons.

While that version of events is not in dispute, a decision to leave Rooney out of the friendly against Spain on Tuesday had not been taken when he decided to stay up so late, just hours before an England training session.

Southgate is expected to be handed a four-year contract, with a break clause after the 2018 World Cup, by the FA next week.

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