We as players want him to stay: Rooney on England manager Roy Hodgson

England manager Roy Hodgson has laid the foundations for the future of the side by giving youth a chance and should be rewarded with a new contract, captain Wayne Rooney has said.

England manager Roy Hodgson has laid the foundations for the future of the side by giving youth a chance and should be rewarded with a new contract, captain Wayne Rooney has said.

Wayne Rooney believes Roy Hodgson’s long-term investment in youth merits a contract extension. (Reuters)

The English FA decided not to discuss a new deal for Hodgson, who took over from Fabio Capello in May 2012, until after the European Championship.

Hodgson included seven players under the age of 23 in his final squad for the Euro 2016 in France, where England can reach the last 16 with a point against Slovakia on Monday.

“It is down to his bosses but of course, as players, we want him to stay,” Rooney, who will reportedly be left out of the starting lineup on Monday, told reporters.

“It shouldn’t go unnoticed the amount of young players he’s introduced into the squad over the last four years. There was a big issue in terms of everyone saying we didn’t have the young players coming through in England which other countries had.”