England skipper Wayne Rooney kept his place in the national side for their World Cup qualifying victory over Malta despite dropping to the bench at Manchester United in recent weeks.
The 30-year-old again operated in a deep midfield role under interim manager Gareth Southgate after playing there for Sam Allardyce's one and only game at the helm in Slovakia.
Here, Press Association Sport take a look Rooney's performance in the 2-0 win at Wembley on Saturday evening.
RECEPTION
There were a few audible jeers when Rooney's name was read off the team-sheet ahead of kick-off.
He was applauded whenever he made his way over to take corners and had supporters on their feet when he curled in a second-half free-kick which almost added a third goal for England b ut there were more jeers when he hammered a late effort well wide.
WORK ETHIC
Laziness is never something that can be levelled at Rooney, even when things are not going his way.
He played the entire contest and, while he was harried less and less as the Malta side tired, he was still tenacious in the tackle and directing his team-mates with instructions until the last. He also showed he can be a tough tackler, as a crunching challenge on Malta skipper Andre Schembri proved.
His sheer determination during his younger years saw him criticised by those who felt it took something away from his goalscoring ability but, if he is to reinvent himself as a midfielder, it could be an asset to utilise more and more.
QUALITY
While the effort remains, the undoubted quality Rooney possesses still seems to be on the wane.
He surrendered possession twice in the early stages and was outshone by his midfield partner Jordan Henderson, who played a role in both of the first two goals with the first coming from the kind of accurate, raking pass so often attributed to Rooney.
Rooney did make a habit of picking out the marauding Kyle Walker down the right flank but there were still misplaced passes and an air of indecisiveness about his game.
GOAL THREAT
England's all-time leading goalscorer is unlikely to keep racking up the tally if he is deployed in midfield but he did force a couple of smart stops out of Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg.
The first came from a snap-shot on the edge of the box as he looked to open the scoring while Hogg was also able to push Rooney's free-kick over the bar early in the second half.
OVERALL
Southgate followed on from predecessor Allardyce by playing Rooney in a deeper role, but he got more out of his captain than the former boss managed in Slovakia.
There, Rooney was often the deepest man on the pitch in Allardyce's system and it was claimed he had played where he wanted under the 61-year-old.
He was more disciplined here but there still remain several questions over his long-term future, especially in midfield.
Source: PA
