Gareth Southgate says dropping Wayne Rooney from England team was tactical – not performance-based

The Three Lions captain will sit on the bench for an international qualifier for the first time in 13 years for the game at Slovenia on Tuesday night

New England boss Gareth Southgate insists that the decision to drop Wayne Rooney was a tactical one – and not down to the captain’s performance.

Southgate has made the bold decision to name Rooney on the bench for Tuesday night’s World Cup qualifier in Slovenia.

In his absence, Jordan Henderson will captain the side.

It is the first time that in 13 years that Rooney has been named among the substitutes for an England qualifier.

But Southgate says he is now bowing down to pressure from the supporters and the decision is in fact to combat the threat of Slovenia in midfield.

“Yeah it’s straight forward,” said Southgate. “We’ve looked at Slovenia and how they play and when I looked at them I looked at what we needed for this game.

“It’s no reflection on Wayne and how he played on Saturday. He played very well showed good tactical discipline.”

“We spoke yesterday at length. Not only did he accept the news with great professionalism and he was keen to speak today.

“I didn’t feel he should but it’s a reflection of the man.”

Southgate was also quizzed on the long-term captaincy of the England team – and confirmed that Rooney will remain as the skipper.

He said: “He is still captain of the team while I’m in charge.”