England boss Roy Hodgson believes that Wayne Rooney is thriving as the captain of the England national team.

The Manchester United striker was recently seen leading his club team and this responsibility has also been carried over to the national team. Rooney has always been a player who leads by the example even without the armband. The work rate and the exemplary commitment shown by the 29-year-old is second to none. These attributes have only increased after being given the captain’s armband according to Hodgson. There was a danger of Rooney’s performances dropping due to the extra workload, but this has not happened so far.

Rooney has managed to lead England onto some great results during the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. The three Lions are expected to head into the finals in France as one of the favourites for the title. England have managed to secure a maximum 18 points from the opening six matches of the qualification group. This has helped most to forget the extremely poor World Cup 2014 in which the team even failed to qualify beyond the group stages. Getting the captain’s armband has not really affected the goal record for England. Rooney is on course to break the record held by Bobby Charlton.

“Wayne has been fantastic all the time I’ve been with the national team, but I would say he has stepped up a notch in terms of being an England player since he got the captaincy.He took that honour very seriously.He researched the role a little bit, took in his experience of playing under previous captains, and he works very closely with me and the players.But, most importantly of all, he plays well for the team. The good fortune for us is he has come up with goals,” said Hodgson.