Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 9y

Wayne Rooney wary of losing place in Roy Hodgson's England starting XI

Wayne Rooney has vowed that he will not give up his spot in the England side without a fight.

The Manchester United and England captain became his country's record scorer last month when he took his tally to 50 goals in 107 caps.

But Rooney, who turns 30 on Thursday, is missing the current double header against Estonia and Lithuania because of injury.

That gave Harry Kane the chance to lead the line for England in Friday's 2-0 win over Estonia while the Premier League's top scorer Jamie Vardy came off the bench.

Theo Walcott, who started on the right wing, scored and Danny Ings was in the squad while manager Roy Hodgson could also be able to call upon Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck in the future.

And Rooney is conscious he could face a battle to stay in the first-choice team.

"I don't want to give my place up," he told the official England programme. "I want to play.

"I come and work harder every time and I want to make it hard for the manager to leave me out over the next couple of years."

Manager Hodgson gave Rooney a resounding endorsement as he suggested his captain is a role model to a newer generation and certainly is not finished.

"From Wayne there is plenty more to come, no doubt," he said. "The younger players in the group can really learn from Wayne, a player who has been a regular in the international team since he was a teenager.

"They can learn about professionalism, about desire, about pride in playing for their country. Having the quality is one thing, but you still need to have the fight."

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