Hodgson still backing Rooney

England manager Roy Hodgson insists captain Wayne Rooney is still a massive part of his plans despite his side’s stunning comeback against Germany on Saturday.

The Manchester United forward is still on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury back in February against Sunderland.

He was originally ruled out until the start of April but he suffered a setback and should return in time for the end of the Premier League season.

He has only scored seven times in the league this season but Hodgson has still used him on a consistent basis when fit. However, England’s performance in their 3-2 win over Germany cast doubt on Rooney’s future within the side.

The likes of Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Danny Welbeck are all coming into form at the right time but Hodgson has still shown his support for his current captain.

He told reporters: “It doesn’t please me too much that it is suggested now that the moment he gets injured and doesn’t play he gets jettisoned in some way.

“I have to repeat, he is our captain and he has captained the team extremely well in the last two years. He took us through a qualifying campaign where we had a complete success with 10 wins out of 10.

“He certainly doesn’t deserve that (to have his place questioned) and when he comes back and he is fit again he is going to be putting enormous pressure on these players, just like these players will be putting enormous pressure on him, and that is the situation we are looking forward to.”