Was this Wayne Rooney’s farewell?

Wayne Rooney appears to be facing the end of his time with England and Manchester United, having “more or less” decided his future at Old Trafford and been exiled from Gareth Southgate’s latest squad.

The 31-year-old is the record goalscorer for club and country but his status has been declining at a rapid rate over the past year and the end could be in sight on both fronts.

Southgate, while not closing the door entirely on a recall, has left no doubt that he is moving in a different direction, having identified a variety of better options in both the number 10 and centre forward roles for next month’s World Cup qualifier against Scotland and the subsequent friendly in France.