ROY HODGSON called for Wayne Rooney to cement his status as one of England’s greatest strikers, ahead of tomorrow night’s friendly against Italy.

Rooney scored his 47th international goal in the Euro 2016 qualification match against Lithuania last week and now stands just two shy of the England scoring record held by Sir Bobby Charlton.

However, Hodgson said that his talismanic captain must leave his mark at a major competition to be remembered as a true great.

“To do it, a player would have to be very successful at a European Championship or World Cup as Bobby Charlton was,” he said of the striker, who has yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals of any major international tournament.

Charlton was one of the finest players of his generation, lifting the World Cup for his nation in 1966 and Hodgson added: “People would argue that Bobby was England’s best ever player — there wouldn’t be many my age who would have him outside the top three.

“If Wayne can break into that in the future, when he stops playing, then that is fantastic for him.

“Bobby Charlton, for me, is up there on a pedestal and it will take time for any of the modern-day players to get up to that level.”

Rooney will be likely to start when England face the Azzurri in Turin tomorrow as Hodgson’s men look to extend their perfect run of seven wins in seven matches since returning from the World Cup.

The Manchester United striker was strong in possession and full of purpose against Lithuania, a side ranked 94th in the world.

However, he was upstaged by Harry Kane, the young Tottenham Hotspur forward who has been in superb form for his club. Kane scored England’s fourth in the win, just 79 seconds after coming on.

Hodgson will be without a host of attacking options, including Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck, who has scored six goals in qualification matches since the World Cup, as well as Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge.

The England manager is under pressure to play the exciting Kane, a move which will no doubt push him even further into the limelight.

To accommodate the Spurs youngster he may be forced to opt for a slightly different formation, playing him alongside Rooney up front.

“We’re not going to hold him back, there’s no question of that,” Hodgson said of the talented striker.

“But I’m rather hoping I’ve got Harry Kane for a long period to come and I don’t want to be the one who throws him in and he flies too close to the sun.”

by Amar Azam