Captain Wayne Rooney restored to England line-up for Scotland clash

The Manchester United skipper was axed by interim boss Gareth Southgate for the goalless draw in Slovenia in October, although he did feature as a second-half substitute.

However, with a shortage of in-form strikers, and with potential No. 10 Dele Alli also missing with injury, Southgate has trodden the path of his predecessor Roy Hodgson and called upon the 31-year-old.

Harry Kane is on the comeback trail from an ankle injury, Jamie Vardy is yet to score a Premier League goal this campaign, Marcus Rashford has been shunted out wide at Manchester United and Daniel Sturridge has found playing time restricted under Jurgen Klopp.

"He [Rooney] is in a better place than he was in the last get together in terms of his sharpness," Southgate told reporters ahead of the clash at Wembley.

"I think he's an experienced player for a game like this, there was no hesitation from me in selecting him. He's playing well for Manchester United, I think he's a player who it helps when he gets into a rhythm."

Southgate confirmed Jordan Henderson, stand-in skipper in Slovenia, would also feature in midfield, but gave no other clues over his selection.

England lead Group F with seven points from three games, with Scotland in fourth following a hefty 3-0 defeat to Slovakia in their most recent outing.

The Three Lions also face Spain in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday.