There have been few bigger talking points than the form of Wayne Rooney so far this season.
The 30-year-old has struggled to fit in to Manchester United’s new-look side and has started their last three matches in all competitions on the bench.
That did not stop interim England coach Gareth Southgate, however, from handing the captain’s armband back to Rooney for the visit of Malta to Wembley on Saturday.
Rooney had another mixed afternoon despite the Three Lions’ relatively comfortable 2-0 victory. He was fortunate to escape punishment for a fairly reckless sliding tackle early on in the game, though he did appear to win the ball.
From there, Rooney had plenty of involvement in the game, with his 153 total passes second only to his midfield partner Jordan Henderson, but struggled to exert much influence in the final third.
Whereas Henderson created four chances – all in the first half – and played a part in both goals by showcasing a superb range of passing, Rooney created only one, though he did manage two shots on target.
Rooney was generally efficient in possession, completing 87% of his passes, but was again surpassed by Henderson (93%) in that regard and lost possession 23 times, more than any other England player.
Despite seemingly lining up as the holding midfield player behind Rooney and Dele Alli, Henderson actually ended up having a higher average position than Rooney, with only the two centre-backs and goalkeeper playing deeper than the skipper.
He did, at least, work hard to win the ball back, making five tackles – more than any other England player except Gary Cahill – and gained possession on 13 occasions, which was a team high.
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