Hodgson doesn’t want all the legwork left to Rooney

Roy Hodgson admits he is on the look-out for any sign that he is asking too much of Wayne Rooney.

The England boss is conscious of the workload taken on by his most experienced player this season, and will step in if he feels the burden of skippering both Manchester United and his country is affecting his performances.

“Sometimes I worry the sense of responsibility is going to weigh him down,” says Hodgson. The coaching staff and I do all we can, but when you take something so seriously, as Wayne does, it’s all very well tell him to leave his problems behind.

“It’s not that easy. He wants to take responsibility. I’ve been very impressed with him in that respect.

“He’s really taken on this job as captain with enormous seriousness. He talked a lot with Steven Gerrard and studied him, and he often speaks to Gary Neville and Ray Lewington. He spends a great deal of time with the younger players, and if there’s anything he thinks I should be made aware of, he makes me aware of it.

“At the moment I think he’s coping with it well, but we’ll have to keep an eye on the situation. Last week I watched him in the Manchester Derby, re-organising United after they went down to 10 men.

“That was indicative that he’s come of age as a captain. But in one of the reshuffles he had to play on the left of midfield, yet still found the energy to get forward and back in his own penalty box, making challenges.

“That’s the danger. Sometimes when players take on responsibility, they take on too much and it’s to the detriment of their own game.

“We’ve seen Steven do that on occasions in the past. He cares so much for England and Liverpool. Sometimes players like them take it all on their shoulders. I think that’s very unfair. You should do your bit and inspire others but they should be providing the other 90%. We want to ensure that the other players know their jobs so that they’re not relying on Wayne to get them out of trouble.”

Hodgson will feel immense personal pride when Rooney wins his 100th cap in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia on Saturday.

His will be the fourth player to become a centurion on Hodgson’s watch after Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole. Hodgson lost all of them to retirement not long afterwards, but he’s confident that he will retain Rooney’s services for much longer.

He adds: “I thought when Jari Litmanen got his 100th cap for Finland while I was manager, it would be the only time I’d have the opportunity. So to get Steven, Ashley, Frank and now Wayne to 100 is quite incredible. I am very proud of it.

“Wayne is just 29 and he should beat Peter Shilton’s cap record (125). I think he’s in a very good place at the moment. I believe he just wants to do the best job he can for England for as long as possible.

“We’ll all have to wait and see how long that is.”