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Wayne Rooney says it will be 'great honour' to wear England shirt again

Wayne Rooney cannot wait to play for England one last time tonight and finally get a chance to say a proper farewell to the fans.

Rooney retired from international football last year but has been recalled to face the USA so that his England career can be honoured. The 33-year-old, who is England’s all-time leading scorer with 53 goals in 119 appearances, is going to come on in the second half.

Rooney’s team-mates have promised to give him a guard of honour and the captain’s armband, while the DC United forward will also wear his No10 shirt.

But the striker sees the occasion as an opportunity to properly acknowledge England supporters. His previous cap came two years ago — nine months before officially announcing his England career was over.

Rooney said: “It will be great to run out one last time in an England shirt. Playing at Wembley again is a way for me to be able to say thank you to the fans for all the support they’ve given me over the last 15 years. It will be a nice way to thank them and say goodbye, something I didn’t get to do properly in my previous game — to do that will be very special.

“It’s nice that it’s against the USA. If I was to have chosen a team to face, I probably would have picked them because it’s the two countries where I’ve played my football. It’s been great to be back.

“I know all the players and there are a lot who I have played with who are in the squad. I know Gareth [Southgate] and the coaching staff, too, and being back in this environment is a privilege; it’s something I’ve been looking forward to and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Rooney will also have the privilege of handing debutants Callum Wilson, Lewis Dunk and Alex McCarthy their shirts in a ceremony inside the dressing room.

Writing in the official programme, Southgate added: “Tonight gives us the opportunity to properly mark Wayne Rooney’s England career. I don’t think we’ve always been very good at honouring our former players and since I’ve been in charge, we’ve tried to invite people to speak to the team.”

Even though much of the build-up is on Rooney, Southgate is determined to finish England’s 2018 fixture calendar on a high. After facing the US, they play Croatia in the Nations League on Sunday.Victory at the weekend would see them progress to the semi-finals, if Spain lose or draw away in Croatia tonight.

The full interview with Rooney and Southgate appears in the official England v USA programme. Price £5. Tickets for the game are still available.