Wayne Rooney Receives Special Letter Thanking Former Skipper for England Service

Everton forward and ex-England captain Wayne Rooney has received special thanks from FA chairman Greg Clarke for his 14 years of service to the national team.

Rooney, who broke Sir Bobby Charlton's long-standing goal scoring record in 2015 and later surpassed David Beckham to become England's most capped outfield player of all time, retired from international football last month to focus on his club career and family.

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In the wake of his departure from the international scene, a report from the Daily Star has revealed that Rooney was sent a hand written letter from FA chief Clarke as a symbol of gratitude.

A source told the tabloid newspaper, "Wayne was delighted to receive the personal letter from Greg Clarke. It was a wonderful touch and he really appreciated the gesture."

It is further stated that there are plans for Rooney to be the subject of a special ceremony to celebrate his achievements in an England shirt since making his debut in 2003.

That was put on hold as a result of the 31-year-old's recent court appearance following a drink driving charge, but is expected to go ahead at an England home game at some point before next summer's World Cup in Russia.

The Three Lions need just one more win from their remaining two qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania to fully guarantee an automatic place at those finals.

Assuming Gareth Southgate's squad can get the job done - even just one more point will be enough if Slovakia fail to win both of their final two fixtures - it will be the first time that England have gone to a major tournament without Rooney since the World Cup in 2002.