Moyes: Rooney can play on as a midfielder

David Moyes says Wayne Rooney can play in midfield to prolong his career, despite having “many miles on the clock”.

The Manchester United striker equalled England’s goalscoring record on Saturday when he netted a penalty to draw level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 goals.

The 29-year-old has also reverted to the centre-forward position for his club after being employed in a number of roles last season by Louis van Gaal, but former United boss Moyes believes Rooney is capable of prolonging his career by playing deeper in midfield.

The Real Sociedad manager told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme: “I think while he is probably England’s best striker at the moment, he has to continue playing as a striker and scoring goals.

“But I could genuinely see Wayne being a midfield player for a year or two after that – I think he has got that ability when his legs run out a bit.

“He is such a good footballer and passer of the ball that he could play in other positions and it could be that he steps back (positionally) in time.

“He has played top football for 12 or 13 years and not many players have had careers as long as that and played as many games.

“Wayne has got many miles on the clock but I do think he can go on a bit longer.”