Southgate confirms Rooney dropped from starting XI vs. Slovenia

Gareth Southgate confirmed Monday that captain Wayne Rooney has lost his place in the starting XI ahead of England's World Cup qualifier against Slovenia.

Instead, Jordan Henderson has been appointed captain ahead of Tuesday's fixture.

Though he admitted he would prefer to start, Rooney insisted he accepts the decision and he'll be prepared if Southgate asks him to play a role later in the encounter.

"I think of course you want to play," Rooney admitted. "I understand and respect the manager's decision. I will support the players 100 percent and try to help them get three points. I will be ready to come off the bench if needed. Hopefully we can get three points. I show great pride in playing for my country whether that's from the start or the bench."

He added: "I've played 13 years non-stop for England. A time comes where you're not the first name on the team sheet."

Southgate explained Rooney was adamant about being present during Monday's news conference in order to face the media and express his acceptance over the interim manager's decision.

"I felt it was important to give Wayne Rooney time to think about how he wanted to deal with it. We spoke yesterday at length.

"Immediately not only did he accept news with professionalism but he very keen to speak today. I wasn't sure that was a good idea but it is a great opportunity for him to talk about his pride about playing for England.

"He is still captain of this team."

Rooney also expressed his confidence in Southgate's decision to name Henderson the team's leader against Slovenia, saying the Liverpool captain is more than qualified for the job.

"Jordan is a fantastic leader," he said. "He took an extremely difficult job over from Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and grew into it."

Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier has been named Rooney's replacement in the squad for Tuesday's Group F qualifier. England sits atop the group with six points through two games.