Wayne Rooney wants Manchester United & England captaincy

Posted Saturday, October 01, 2011 by xinhuanet.com

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted he wants to captain both his club side and the England national side.

The 25-year-old, who moved to Old Trafford from Everton in 2004, is now one of the more experienced members of the Premier League champions' squad.

Although not exactly a veteran, the forward is aware of the effect he has on the younger players, and has revealed that to be given the Three Lions' armband and the Red Devils' captaincy would be an honor.

Rooney told reporters: “I've captained both on one-off occasions but obviously to get the two jobs full-time would be a great honor for me.

“We have got a lot of young players in the [Manchester United] team, and you know they will watch what you are doing on the training pitch and in the matches."

Although captains are most commonly in center midfield or at center back, a number of high-profile forwards have skippered their clubs and country.

Alan Shearer captained Newcastle United, Carlos Tevez captained Manchester City last season, and in the summer Robin van Persie took over the armband from Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal.

Despite being only 25, Rooney has amassed an impressive 72 caps for England, scoring 28 goals for the national side in the process.