Soccer

Sam Allardyce: ‘Far too early’ to know if Wayne Rooney will retain captaincy

New England manager has added his former Bolton assistant Sammy Lee to the staff

Sam Allardyce was unveiled as the new England manager on Monday morning. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Sam Allardyce was unveiled as the new England manager on Monday morning. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Mon Jul 25 2016 - 12:10

New England manager Sam Allardyce has yet to decide if he will retain Wayne Rooney as captain.

The 61-year-old, fresh from keeping Sunderland in the Premier League against the odds, was the unanimous choice from the Football Association panel to replace Roy Hodgson, who stepped down after the humiliation of defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016.

Allardyce, who has added his former Bolton assistant Sammy Lee to his coaching staff, was unveiled at St George's Park on Monday and said it was "far too early" to reveal who he would like to captain the Three Lions heading into the World Cup qualifying campaign.

After describing his management style as “pragmatic”, he told Sky Sports News HQ: “I’m going to leave that until I meet all the players and get all the staff together.”