Former England captain David Platt says the leadership of Wayne Rooney will be crucial for their Euros clash with Russia.

The Manchester United captain is under pressure going into tonight's opener.

Platt wrote in The Sun: "The importance of the captain comes in his relationship with the manager.

"Wayne Rooney and Hodgson have to be in tune with how they want the team to play.

"Roo will become Hodgson's eyes and ears on the pitch and he will be able to adjust things more during a game than the manager can from the sidelines.

"When I was England captain, Terry Venables would often tell me to take myself out the game just for a few minutes to observe what was going on — to see if the plan was working or something needed changing."