Arsenal legend Ian Wright has stated that he does not understand the criticism being directed at England captain Wayne Rooney.

England laboured to an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Slovakia in their World Cup qualifying opener on Sunday and many were unimpressed with the performances of Rooney in a midfield role.

Rooney looked very ineffective in a deeper position throughout the course of the match but former Arsenal striker Wright has stated that the 30-year-old's display does not warrant the barrage of criticism which has been labeled at him from fans and pundits following the game.

Wright wrote in his column for The Sun: "I just can't understand all this negative reaction to Wayne Rooney playing in a deeper role against Slovakia than he has for Manchester United this season.

"Wayne did OK and we've got a valuable three points in the bag to kick-start our World Cup campaign. So why all the doom and gloom?

"What more could you expect from Sam Allardyce's first match as England manager? Sam knows what he's doing. He clearly decided the way to get the best out of Rooney was to get him on the ball as much as possible.

"So he played him in a role that gave him the freedom to roam around the park. Wayne will soon become our record cap-holder. If Sam thinks he is best used as a play-maker, then let's give him time to test out that theory. We're strong favourites to win this group, quite rightly, so why not experiment a bit?"