England captain Wayne Rooney has called on the players to rally round after "a tough couple of weeks" following the exit of manager Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce left the post after just 67 days and one match in charge -- the 1-0 win in Slovakia -- following a Daily Telegraph investigation into football corruption.

Gareth Southgate has been named as interim manager for the next four matches, and one of his first announcements was to confirm that Manchester United's Rooney would remain as captain.

And as England prepare to face Malta at Wembley in their second World Cup qualifier on Saturday, Rooney said: "It's a shame -- everyone could see how excited Sam was for the job and he came in and showed that enthusiasm to the players.

"It's a shame it's happened and I'm sure he deeply regrets it. It was a decision for the FA to take.

"As a group of players, we need to stick together and concentrate on the football. We have to focus on the games."

The start of Rooney's England career intersected briefly with the latter days of Southgate's just over a decade ago.

He added: "He's done a very job with the under-21s, and he's got an opportunity to show what he can do at senior level.

"He'll bring his own way of working, it's going to be good to see what that is in the next week. We have to buy into his ways and take his ideas on board."

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill said he was also sorry to see Allardyce depart but added: "What's happened has happened -- we move on. I've been involved in many managers changing in my career at club and country."