Spain vs England: Wayne Rooney will not start friendly as Roy Hodgson seeks to experiment

The England captain is expected to feature against France on Tuesday

England captain Wayne Rooney and manager Roy Hodgson (Getty Images)

England captain Wayne Rooney will not start tomorrow’s friendly against Spain in Alicante.

Roy Hodgson, manager of the national team, decided against starting the Manchester United striker as he is keen to try alternative options before Euro 2016.

Rooney will, fitness permitting, feature against France next Tuesday and Hodgson was keen to stress quash speculation surrounding his decision.

"Wayne's with me today because he's the captain of our team, he's the most important figure as a result, but he actually won't start the game tomorrow,” Hodgson said.

"I'm telling you that because Wayne and I are very anxious that we're not trying to fool anybody or bamboozle anybody when he's sat alongside me.

"That's for the very simple reason that we're looking at various combinations.

"Wayne is pencilled in against France on Tuesday."

Rooney, aware of the need to rotate the squad, added: "It's important especially in these games that the manager has a chance to see as many players as he can before the tournament in the summer.

"As a player you want to play but you have understand that there are bigger things to consider."

Fellow striker Jamie Vardy, who is currently enjoying a rich vein of form at Leicester City, is doubtful due to a niggle he picked up in his club side’s victory over Watford.

"Jamie Vardy is struggling with a knock he picked up on Saturday,” Hodgson added.

“We're monitoring it, we're still working on it but it looks unlikely at this moment in time that he'll be able to play tomorrow."

Additional reporting by PA