'Rooney still has plenty to offer England' - Gerrard talks up Man Utd forward despite Southgate snub

Wayne Rooney may be a peripheral figure at Manchester United and out of the England picture, but Steven Gerrard says he has plenty to offer.

At 31 years of age, a man who has scored more goals for his club and country than anybody else has suddenly found game time hard to come by.

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Jose Mourinho has nudged him down the pecking order at Old Trafford, while Gareth Southgate completely overlooked him in his latest Three Lions squad.

Gerrard, though, believes that there is still a role for Rooney at international level, with the ex-England captain talking up the qualities of a former colleague.

He told BT Sport: “People are very quick to jump on getting older lads out of the England squad, but when it comes to tournaments it’s important you have a good blend of youth and experience.

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“Wayne brings that [experience] and he has scored a heavy amount of goals at international level and that’s very difficult to replace.

“Of course it’s been a difficult season for him but he’s more than capable of getting a good pre-season under his belt and coming back very strong and forcing his way back in – I have no doubt about that.”

Rashford: Rooney far from finished

Rooney has won 119 caps for England, while scoring 53 goals.

He has graced several major tournaments, including three World Cups, but knows he needs to find regular minutes if he is to take in another showpiece event in Russia next summer.

His future at United continues to be called into question ahead of the re-opening of the transfer window, with Rooney acknowledging that he has some important decisions to make.