Wayne Rooney retires: What now for England? Is it the right time?

On Wednesday, Wayne Rooney confirmed he has decided to retire from international football despite being asked to return to the squad by Gareth Southgate.

Given that the 31-year-old had started the new Premier League season with goals against Stoke City and Manchester City his decision to retire came as a shock to most.

Tributes to the forward, and what he achieved for his country, quickly followed as ex-players, pundits and fans rightly remembered what a servant he has been for the national team.

For England it provides a little closure, rather than the intense speculation about whether or not he would be included before every squad announcement.

It also allows them to look forward as they start to plan out their team for the 2018 World Cup and beyond. Tottenham Hotspur duo Dele Alli and Harry Kane, together with Marcus Rashford, make up a very exciting attacking triumvirate that needs to be developed.

At times it felt as if Rooney was almost in the way, as if too much of England’s play had to go through him, understandable when you consider his status.

Now these younger players can develop their own style and perhaps play with greater fluidity and, possibly more importantly, more speed, as they do for their club sides.

It’s not just these three either, with Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham both looking to continue their fine form at youth level and make an impact in the Premier League this season.

Will any of them break Rooney’s record of 53 England goals? It’s unlikely, but they can now work on trying to replicate recent tournament success in the age-group categories for the senior side.

More immediately, Kane and Rashford are expected to be joined by a more senior name, such as Jamie Vardy or Jermain Defoe, in the next squad.

Yes.

As mentioned earlier, Rooney had a tendency to slow down the play for England, he didn’t have the same dynamism he had when he was younger.

This isn’t a slight on Rooney as a player, a lot of the change came down to ageing and some stale management.

As the record goalscorer and with the most caps of any outfielder there isn’t a lot left for Rooney to achieve and of the ‘golden generation’ (which in truth he was barely part of) he can have the most pride with what he did for England.

Furthermore, as he alluded to in his statement, this decision this will now give him more time with his family, and more focus on his career with Everton.

While some wrote off the move back to Goodison Park he has started brightly and keeping himself fresh for their games is a very viable path.

Rooney joined Alan Shearer in the 200 Premier League goals club at the weekend and while it may seem ridiculous, he has to be thinking about the Geordie's record of 260 goals.

Theoretically, if he scores 10 goals a season he would break this record at the age of 37.

Now of course this is fanciful but Rooney must have seen the way Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs extended their club careers by retiring from international football and feel as if he can do the same thing.

Even if he doesn’t manage to catch Shearer, by focusing his efforts entirely on Everton he could help them win a major trophy for the first time in over 20 years, something that would truly cement his place as a club legend.

Less than a year ago Rooney had been totally written off. Now his career seems to have been given a new lease of life.