Sam Allardyce has refused to throw his backing behind Wayne Rooney for the England captaincy, telling reporters at his first press conference as England manager that it was 'far too early' to make a decision on the matter.
Allardyce was officially appointed as the Three Lions boss on Friday, but told the press that he was still waiting to get his bearings in the job before deciding on his captain.
Sam Allardyce giving Wayne Rooney no guarantees over England captaincy https://t.co/pQXuresGr7 pic.twitter.com/Zxn2sHrObR
He said:"It's far too early to make any predictions in that area.I'm going to leave that until we meet all the players and we get all the coaching staff together behind the scenes and plan for the internationals in September.It's the first day in and [I'm] getting my feet under the table. I'm meeting everybody here at St George's Park."
Allardyce will work directly from the national training complex - a point which was said to be vital to the FA - and he said:"I think it's very important I base myself from here."
He continued:"It was 10 years since I was last interviewed [for the position] and to sit here is obviously a huge, huge thrill for me.I think I fit the chair. I hope I do. I think I've got the experience to pass on and not only challenge the England team but challenge myself.
📸 @FA technical director Dan Ashworth discusses the appointment of new #ThreeLions boss @OfficialBigSam https://t.co/nmyBzAPA4J
"I think [managing] five Premier League clubs has given me a huge amount of experience and nobody else in the Premier League clubs.Man-management is my biggest asset, to try and help players enjoy themselves and become better than they already are.I think that worked everywhere else I've been so hopefully that will work on the England side. I'll have that approach in this job."
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