Wayne Rooney hopes Thomas Tuchel is the man to make England winners | OneFootball

Former England captain Wayne Rooney hopes Thomas Tuchel can take his fantastic record on to the international stage as the new manager prepares to name his first squad on Friday.

The ex-Chelsea boss begins life as manager of the back-to-back Euro runners-up with a March double-header.

Tuchel was named Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor in October and has been getting his feet under the table since his 18-month contract with the Football Association began on New Year’s Day.

The 51-year-old will name his first squad on Friday morning before facing the media at Wembley, where they host Albania on March 21 and Latvia three days later as World Cup qualification gets under way.

Tuchel has been charged with taking England that final step at next summer’s World Cup and Rooney, the nation’s most-capped outfield men’s player, is hoping he can reproduce his previous successes.

Asked if Tuchel can follow Sir Alf Ramsey’s 1966 heroes into the history books, Rooney told the PA news agency: “I hope so and I think his record is fantastic. He’s won the best trophies out there.

“When (Fabio) Capello came in – obviously I had Sven (Goran Eriksson) who was a foreign manager as well – I was really excited to work under Fabio and it didn’t quite go the way I would have liked it to or hoped.

“I didn’t really enjoy that time under Fabio, but I’m sure there’s players in that dressing now who see Thomas Tuchel come in as a winner.

“We all hope that he can be the one to progress England forward and take us that next step.”

Tuchel has been talking with players on his 55-strong list of options ahead of Friday’s selection.

There are a number of headaches to contend with, including injuries to long-serving centre-backs Harry Maguire and John Stones as well as Bukayo Saka, Kobbie Mainoo and Noni Madueke.

Trent Alexander-Arnold limped out of Liverpool’s Champions League exit to Paris St Germain on Tuesday, while Ben White is an interesting case having previously ruled himself out of international selection.

Lewis Hall’s season-ending injury compounds the ongoing absence of Luke Shaw at left-back, with uncapped duo Myles Lewis-Skelly and Djed Spence options along with Tyrick Mitchell.

Ethan Nwaneri, Liam Delap and Elliot Anderson are other uncapped talents knocking on the door, while Jack Grealish, Cole Palmer and Kyle Walker are among those whose performances are under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford – who won the last of his 60 England caps last March – continues to show flashes of quality since joining Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United.

Rooney, who is playing for England at Soccer Aid for UNICEF on June 15 at Old Trafford, said: “I think Marcus would be the first to admit the last year, couple of years, haven’t been what he probably would have wanted.

“I believe he probably needed a fresh start. He’s gone to a club who are again trying to move forward and doing well in the Champions League.

“Aston Villa have made some really good signings in January as well, so he’s gone to an exciting project.

“I think the main thing for him is to get back playing (regularly) and go and show everyone, remind everyone, of his ability.”