WAYNE ROONEY is the overwhelming favourite to be named the new England captain today.

Roy Hodgson will name his squad for the upcoming matches against Norway and Switzerland at a noon press conference, and the man who Louis van Gaal has appointed captain of Manchester United is expected to be named as Steven Gerrard's successor.

"He's a natural leader," said the Liverpool midfielder, who led England throughout the first two years of Hodgson's reign. "He's a top player, he commands respect within the group and is passionate about representing his country."

There is a feeling that Rooney is a more mature and respectable figure than the one sent off for lashing out at Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in 2006 and five years later against Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic.

Following the international retirements of Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, Rooney is by far the most experienced member of the players available to Hodgson.