England legend Alan Shearer has delivered a warning to Roy Hodgson that captain Wayne Rooney should not start up front at UEFA Euro 2016.
The former Newcastle United striker has watched Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane emerge over the past two seasons as England's most promising talent since Shearer, and believes that Rooney is suited to a role further back in the formation.
"There was always going to be a place for the captain and rightly so," Shearer told the BBC. "But the days of Wayne being the number one striker are gone."
Shearer top scored at the 1996 European Championships in England with five goals, and remains the English Premier League's record goalscorer.
"Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy deserve to have their chance up front, but I still think Wayne has a part to play, whether that is in midfield or the number 10 role."
Hodgson has a coterie of exciting forwards to pick from as he seeks to trim his provisional squad of 26 down to 23 for the finals, which begin in France on June 10.
Among those is the 18-year-old Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who only made his debut for Louis Van Gaal in February but has been picked ahead of established veterans including Theo Walcott of Arsenal and Sunderland's Jermaine Defoe.
England starts its Euro 2016 campaign against Russia on Saturday, June 11 at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
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