Man Utd and England captain boosted to net first v Slovenia

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England’s upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia might not be the most important match of Wayne Rooney’s international career, but it will be a special moment for the striker.

The Three Lions’ skipper is set to win his 100th cap, and to celebrate the occasion Ladbrokes have boosted his price to net the opener from 3/1 to 4/1.

Rooney is in fine form for his country, having scored three goals in his past four appearances for Roy Hodgson’s side, and it’s worth noting two of those have been first strikes.

The Manchester United captain was the only scorer in England’s win over Estonia in their last match, a goal that extended an impressive record of netting first in qualifying games.

In five of the six matches he played on the road to World Cup 2014, Rooney was the first man on the scoresheet.

England’s skipper also has a real affinity with Wembley, scoring five times in his past four competitive appearances at the Three Lions’ base-camp, including three openers.

Given the fact that Hodgson’s side are yet to concede in Euro 2016 qualifying, and that Rooney will grab the ball for any penalties and most free kicks, he will be given ample opportunity to extend his prolific run at Wembley.

Meanwhile, visitors Slovenia have failed to net in five of their past six away matches in all competitions, further limiting the likelihood that they will scupper the 29-year-old’s chance of scoring first.

Rooney has a chance of setting two records with England over the next couple of years, as he closes in on the all-time top goals and appearances tallies.

The United man is currently just six goals behind Bobby Charlton’s goal total of 49 for the Three Lions, and 26 short of Peter Shilton’s record cap haul of 125.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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