Paper Round: Wayne Rooney's future in doubt, Reading eye shock Rafael Van der Vaart swoop

Sam Allardyce made a big statement on his first public appearance as England manager by refusing to name Wayne Rooney as captain - reports the Guardian (and everybody else). Big Sam says he will consider Rooney in whatever position Jose Mourinho opts to use the Manchester United man, but admits that Rooney is not yet a certainty to retain the captaincy. Allardyce was presented to a story-hungry British media on Monday and dished up a restrained performance that offered very few morsels... until his Rooney bombshell.

Paper Round's view: This is a big story because it's about the England captain, but it's the only logical decision Allardyce could have taken at this moment in time.

For some reason the captain's armband has huge significance in England and it's an appointment that will need to make sense in terms of the manager's plans for the next two years, not just his initial gut feeling.

Rooney will surely be in Big Sam's squad, but can he really be guaranteed a starting spot right now? It's too early to even know what sort of shape Allardyce will play, let alone what personnel he will use. The new England boss will need to make a decision eventually, but now was not the time to nail his colours to Rooney's mast.

England's second-Test demolition of Pakistan caught the eye of the majority of the national newspapers' editors, with Joe Root and Chris Woakes sharing the plaudits on the back pages for a win that levels the series. Ben Stokes and James Anderson may have returned, but it was Woakes who remained England's best bowler at Old Trafford - says the Telegraph. The Warwickshire pace man continued his remarkable turnaround with the ball, taking seven wickets in the match, while his display as night watchman suggested that England may have another all-rounder on their hands. At 1-1 with two Tests to play the series is perfectly poised.

Paper Round's view: It took him a while, but Woakes is finally showing why the selectors stuck by him during his lean introduction to international cricket. Woakes is Jimmy Anderson's heir apparent and his emergence as a genuine wicket-taking threat with pace to trouble even the best batsman will go down as the biggest success story of the summer - regardless of the series result. Woakes is a gem of a cricketer and his batting is an added bonus. He has the talent to be a genuine all-rounder, but the prospect of a player of his calibre coming in at nine or ten for the next five or more years should worry England's future opponents greatly. The future's bright.

Reading are in talks over a stunning swoop for the former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, according to a report in local publication GetReading that made the national papers sit up and take notice. The Royals have already pulled off one sensational Dutch coup by appointing Jaap Stam as their manager following the departure of Brian McDermott. And Stam has now met with Van der Vaart to discuss a possible move ahead of the next Championship season. The midfielder has been told by his current club Real Betis that he has no future in the first team and has been training on his own in Holland as he looks for a move, preferably back to England.

Paper Round's view: For the sake of Reading fans, please let this be true. Van der Vaart's knees and overall fitness may not be what they were (and neither were they particularly great to begin with), but he's still a sublime footballer and has the ability to boss the Championship if he puts his mind to it.

Real Madrid was always a step too far for the Netherlands international, but Spurs fans still remember him fondly for his impressive attitude and wonderful skill-set, and it would be a boost to the Championship and English football in general to have him back. Fingers crossed.