Hodgson: Rooney a 'certainty' for England's Euro 2016 squad

Roy Hodgson says Wayne Rooney is nailed on to make England's Euro 2016 squad if he has shaken off his knee ligament injury.

The forward has not appeared for Manchester United since Feb. 13, and is expected to miss out on the Three Lions' two upcoming friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands later this month.

Before the setback he had struggled to hit a consistent level for his club, scrambling for goals until he finally started finding the back of the net more regularly in this calendar year, with seven goals in nine outings.

"Yes I can (say Rooney will be there if fit), because he is our captain, he is our most experienced player," Hodgson told talkSPORT.

"He's not missed one squad of the last eight squads. He has never let us down."

Elsewhere from talks over his skipper, Hodgson would not be drawn into talking of other players likely or unlikely to travel to France in the summer. It is no secret that the goal-scoring exploits of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy have practically booked their ticket on the flight though, and the 68-year-old isn't ruling out playing the duo and Rooney at the same time.

"It depends which system we play. It also depends on the other players at the time and how well they're doing and how keen we are to get them in the team.

"The good thing about Wayne and getting into the team is that he has more than one string to his bow. He can play behind strikers and he can play as an out-and-out striker."

England kicks off its Euro 2016 campaign against Russia in Marseille on June 11.