Mourinho will determine Rooney’s England role, says Allardyce

Jose Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will determine where Wayne Rooney plays for his country, says new England boss Sam Allardyce.

Rooney, 30, featured as a forward and in midfield under previous England manager Roy Hodgson during Euro 2016.

Allardyce said it was too soon to confirm whether Rooney, England’s record scorer, would remain as captain.

“I still think Wayne Rooney has a massive place to play in the England side,” said the 61-year-old.

“If Jose says he is not going to play him in centre midfield and he is playing up front and scoring goals for Manchester United then it would be pointless me bringing him into England and playing him in centre midfield.”

With Rooney likely to face competition for a starting spot at Old Trafford from forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial, Allardyce said a player’s club form will be important in him being selected.

“I don’t know until that happens with anybody, let alone Wayne Rooney,” he added. “I hope there are standout players all over the place when the Premier League starts.

“I hope it’s a hugely difficult task for me to pick my first squad because everybody is on really good form and playing exceptionally well.”

Allardyce’s first game in charge will be a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on 4 September, and he hopes to have made contact with Premier League managers to “hear their thoughts” before choosing his squad.

“We’ve got to try and help each other if we possibly can,” said Allardyce, who has more than two decades’ worth of domestic coaching experience.

“It won’t always be the case, the demands on Premier League managers and demand on me as England manager is bound to cause some conflict down the line because the pressures are far greater than ever before.

“So they are bound to want to protect their players and that is what I have to try and overcome with a little bit of give and take, hopefully.”