England manager fires warning to Manchester United outcast

England manager Gareth Southgate has hinted Wayne Rooney will have to leave Manchester United this summer and secure regular playing time elsewhere in order to remain in contention for his Three Lions squad.

Rooney was not included in Southgate’s England squad for upcoming matches against Scotland and France and faces a real fight to get back into contention let alone keep the England captaincy.

The 31-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from United all season after dropping down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho and the veteran forward has a huge decision to make this summer.

Rooney still has 12 months remaining on his lucrative United deal that includes an option to another year but his playing time will only diminish even more in the coming years with Mourinho looking to sign more players in his position.

The United captain has revealed the only other Premier League side he would be willing to play for  is boyhood club Everton but there hasn’t been any significant interest from Ronald Koeman’s side despite the fact the Everton manager has hinted at a potential return in the past.

There has also been interest from MLS and China at times this season but that would all but seal Rooney’s England fate and the United No.10 may have to revise his plans following Southgate’s latest comments.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Sky Sports quote Southgate as saying when asked whether Rooney’s international career is over. “From Wayne’s point of view, he has obviously not played very much this season. Others have come into the squad and done really well.

“As far as I am concerned, Wayne, it would appear, has got some decisions to make across the summer regarding next season. But the hope is he is back playing really well and with a player of his quality there is no way we would dismiss him from the future.

“That’s a general situation that you want your players playing in the biggest possible games. That is the best test for them. I have no idea what the future is for Wayne with Manchester United so it is very difficult for me to comment on whether he is part of the plans there or not.

“But as I say, we hope he is back playing regularly and playing well because he is a fantastic player to have in your squad.”

Rooney only started 24 of the 63 competitive matches United played this season and weighed in with just eight goals in that time. Despite a relative lack of playing time, only Ander Herrera and Anthony Martial (both 6) registered more assists in the Premier League than Rooney (5).

For more stats on Wayne Rooney, click here to visit his WhoScored player page