The retirement of Gerrard - along with fellow veteran midfielder Frank Lampard - from international football in the wake of England's disappointing World Cup campaign in Brazil had left the Three Lions in need of a new skipper.
And Hodgson believes that the commitment and experience of Rooney, who has also been handed the Manchester United captaincy by Louis van Gaal this summer, makes him the ideal candidate for the role.
"I gave it a lot of thought but Wayne is an obvious choice," Hodgson told reporters. "He certainly deserves it. His commitment to the cause, his experience, the fact he’s captained England in the past, and now of course he has the responsibility at Manchester United, all those factors weighed in in my thought process.
"I had a long conversation with him. And he’s prepared to accept the pressures the England captaincy can bring. And that’s quite a big thing to ensure that the person is willing to take that enourmous responsibility."
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