Rooney - England Success on my mind

The Manchester United captain says he is still motivated to win something at international level and will make himself available for as long as Roy Hodgson wants to pick him

Wayne Rooney insists he is still driven by the desire to achieve success with England as he prepares
to reach 100 international caps.

Rooney will join Billy Wright, Charlton, Bobby Moore, Peter Shilton, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard in the Three Lions' band of centurions when he captains Roy Hodgson's men in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia at Wembley on Saturday.

But the Manchester United star has failed to make a significant mark on an international tournament since his breakthrough as a fearless teenager at Euro 2004 and says he is determined to change that situation before he retires.

“It’s a special moment for me, but I don’t just want to be remembered as one of the players who gets 100 caps or more," he told reporters. "You want to be successful. That would mean so much more than getting to 100 caps.”

When asked to assign his England career to date a mark out of 10, Rooney replied: “I can’t say it’s a ‘three’ or an ‘eight’. You just have to look at how successful you’ve been and we haven’t been successful. It hasn’t always been great but it’s always been a magical moment to play for my country.

“Being captain of both United and England, there’s going to be pressure. But I feel that over the years I’ve matured as a person and as a footballer and I’m ready for that pressure, ready to deal with it."

Rooney, who will be accompanied by his two children onto the Wembley pitch to receive his 100th cap, also insists that he wants to prolong his England career for as long as Hodgson is inclined to pick him.

“I always work hard," he continued. "I understand the manager has decisions to make. I want to take that decision out of the manager’s hands with my own form. I don’t want to be plodding along, waiting for a decision to be made.

“You finish playing football at a young age, so I never want to cut my career short by deciding not to play for England. If I get picked to go to the [2018] World Cup, I’d be more than happy to do that.”