Hodgson says Rooney can beat Sir Bobby’s scoring record at England

Rooney is on 38 goals, 11 behind Charlton’s total, and Hodgson says he would welcome the Manchester United striker setting a new record as he also reveals his 2016 Euro qualifying fears for England.

Wayne Rooney is on 38 goals, 11 behind Sir Bobby Charlton’s total, and England manager Roy Hodgson says he would welcome the Manchester United striker setting a new record. AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON

England boss Roy Hodgson says he will speak to Wayne Rooney about targeting Sir Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record for England.

Rooney is on 38 goals, 11 behind Charlton's total, and Hodgson says he would welcome the Manchester United striker setting a new record.

Hodgson said: “I’m sure we will talk about it. We’ll be together for a longer period of time (at the World Cup), and that kind of thing might crop up in an everyday conversation and it’s quite good to have that.

“He’s a long way behind Alan (Shearer) in the Premier League, but in terms of international goals he’s definitely up there and we would want that.”

Hodgson believes Rooney could still be playing for England into his mid-30s.

He added: “You’d like to think so. He’s a massive football man. He lives for football. Football is his life.

“There are plenty of other players we have at the moment who are 33, 34 and are still going strong, still doing good jobs for their club and country, so why not Wayne?”

Hodgson revealed he had contacted Rooney this week to congratulate him on his new five-and-a-half-year contract with United and believes having settled his future could work in England’s favour.

He added: “I’m very pleased for him, for United and for us.

“I don’t want to go too much down the route that now he won’t be distracted because I’ve got every faith that he would have come to the World Cup with England and been focused whatever the situation.

“But I can’t deny that it’s tremendous that, so early in the season, he’s signed a new contract and committed his long-term future.

“He’s probably going to be a two-club man, and most of that will be at Manchester United. It is an advantage, no doubt, and I’m pleased for everyone concerned.”

Hodgson reveals his 2016 Uefa Euro qualifying fears

Hodgson fears Uefa’s new format for international qualifiers will reduce even further the time he has with the team.

Hodgson, speaking after England were handed a straightforward draw for Euro 2016 in Group E alongside Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania and San Marino, said playing matches on a Thursday would mean having just one day to train with the squad.

Euro 2016 qualifiers will see Uefa’s ‘week of football’ idea put into practice, with matches taking place every day from the Thursday to Tuesday of double-header international weeks.

England’s first home match of the campaign is on a Thursday, against San Marino on October 9, and Hodgson, who also admitted the Football Association faces a tough task to sell out Wembley for the low-profile opponents, said: “It will affect the national teams.

“One of the major problems for us could be a Thursday game if the Super Sunday has four of our best teams taking part, taking as many as seven or eight of our first XI players.

“That means Monday is a write-off, Tuesday for some of the older players will be a write-off because they need a two-day recovery and don’t train two days after a game.

“That would mean we have one day, the day before the game, to prepare the team.

“The clubs will be happier because it used to be two weeks for the national teams in these breaks.

“That got knocked down to 10 days. Then it was knocked down to nine days. Now it’s seven or eight days, so the clubs, I would think, are rubbing their hands all the time because they get the players back quicker all the time.”

Scotland and the Republic of Ireland were drawn in Group G along with Germany, Poland and Georgia, as well as UEFA’s newest member Gibraltar.

Irish boss Martin O’Neill said: “I think it’s the toughest group but it’s an exciting one.

“We have got Scotland, we have Poland who we have played in a recent friendly and whose recent efforts (against England) at Wembley were not too bad at all.”

It will bring O’Neill face to face with his fellow ex-Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, who claimed it was a “terrific draw” - while other groups appeared “mundane”.

Wales’ chances of qualifying look equally difficult, in Group B with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium, Israel, Cyprus and Andorra.

Northern Ireland were drawn in Group F with Greece, Hungary, Romania, Finland and the Faroe Islands.

The top two in each group will qualify for the 24-team final tournament along with hosts France. The best third-placed team will also qualify, with the eight other third-placed sides playing off for the remaining four spots.

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