England coach Roy Hodgson had no doubts about handing the captaincy to Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

e believes Rooney now has the maturity to go with the passion required to captain his country.

He said: "Wayne takes playing for England unbelievably seriously and that is a good thing for us.

"I think I am now seeing the best of Wayne Rooney and I hope he stays fit and healthy and continues to do what he's doing for Manchester United and for England.

"Maybe in the earlier games that he played for me he wasn't at his best.

"At the Euros he wasn't as sharp as he is now and I think he would be the first to admit that. But now he is right at the top of his game and that is a good thing for everyone."