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Wayne Rooney says Norway friendly is 'start of a new chapter' for England

Matthew Childs / Reuters

For a number of European national teams that experienced a disappointing World Cup, this week provides them with their first opportunity at redemption.

A whole slate of international friendlies are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, while Saturday marks the beginning of the marathon qualifying campaign for Euro 2016.

Among the teams looking to bounce back from a poor showing in Brazil are England, who exited the World Cup in the group stage, amassing a lone point and only two goals in their three Group D fixtures. The Three Lions meet Norway in a friendly at Wembley on Wednesday, and then travel to Switzerland for a Euro 2016 qualifier on Monday.

England will also be taking the pitch with a new captain, as Wayne Rooney was handed his country's armband on Sunday. For Rooney, Wednesday's friendly versus Norway marks the "start of a new chapter" for his international career as well as for the 1966 World Cup champions.

"I'm going to be myself," said Rooney, via The Guardian, of his new captaincy role. "I'm always very demanding of myself and I think when you play for your country you've got to do that."

When asked about whether he was relishing the honor, Rooney replied: "That's something I said to the manager when he told me I was captain. It's a great honor to captain my country, something I'm extremely proud of. I want to be a successful captain and for this team to be successful. Tomorrow is the start of a new chapter."

Rooney also sees Monday's match in Basel as "vital," stressing the importance of denying Switzerland the upper hand in their first qualifier.

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