Roo looks to be at career crossroads

WAYNE Rooney appears to be facing the end of the road with England and Manchester United, with a number of transfer offers on the table and a telling omission from Gareth Southgate's latest international squad.

Southgate overlooked the 31-year-old in a 25-man squad to face Scotland and France next month, less than a day after what could be his United swansong as a late substitute in the club's Europa League final victory.

With a recall highly unlikely as Southgate looks to build a side around younger legs, attention turns to his club future and the increasingly likely prospect of exiting Old Trafford after 13 trophy-laden years.

CONFIRMED

Speaking after the Red Devils' win over Ajax in Stockholm, Rooney accepted he had some thinking to do and confirmed his boyhood club Everton were the only English club he would consider leaving for, while links with a big-money switch to China persist.

"I've got decisions to make now over the next few weeks, have a word with my family, and then I'll decide," he said.

"I think I just have to make a decision in terms of a football decision and that's what I'll do.

"I'll do that the next few weeks with my family while I'm away.

"There's lots of offers on the table, both in England and abroad.

"I've played for two clubs and they're the only two Premier League clubs I'll play for."

Asked if he was close to a decision, he said with a smile: "More or less, yeah."

Former captain Rooney was omitted from the last England get-together in March, when Southgate cited a lack of playing time at Old Trafford as the primary reason. However, having started six of United's last seven Premier League games that reasoning no longer holds water.

Instead, Southgate was forced to deliver a hard truth. After an outfield record 119 caps and an unparalleled 53 goals, Rooney is simply not considered up to standard any more.

"We have a lot of players playing exceptionally well in the area of the pitch that Wayne plays," Southgate told thefa.com.

Marcus Rashford's presence in the seniors ended the prospect of a club-versus-country fight with United over his participation in the Under-21 European Championship.

The 19-year-old will not travel to Poland for the tournament.

RETAINED

Southgate handed a maiden call-up to Tottenham full-back Kieran Trippier, retained veteran Defoe and Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson and was able to select Premier League golden boot winner Kane for the first time.

ENGLAND squad for next month's games against Scotland and France -

Jack Butland (Stoke), Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, on loan from Man City), Tom Heaton (Burnley); Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Phil Jones (Man Utd), Chris Smalling (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Tottenham); Dele Alli (Tottenham), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Man Utd), Jake Livermore (West Brom), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Man City); Jermain Defoe (Sunderland), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Jamie Vardy (Leicester).