Fair play to Wayne Rooney for playing it the way he has always played it and refusing to go quietly. The press conference he gave on Tuesday as England captain was sensational as these things go: an extraordinary and utterly unflinching articulation of where he thinks he fits in ahead of the inexorable dying of the light.

Gareth Southgate said, in so many words, on Monday that at close quarters he has been extremely taken by the intellectual development he has seen in Rooney since the days when he first worked with him, more than 10 years ago. The player’s intelligence is certainly something those of us who encounter him around the edges of games take away every time. He doesn’t speak frequently but he always speaks well and Tuesday was an object lesson.

He does not see his future in an advanced position on the field – and with Dele Alli and Paul Pogba in the buildings he occupies there is self-preservation attached to that. It was feat of press conference gymnastics for him to say so without it translating into headlines which pose a challenge to his club manager, Jose Mourinho, who begs to differ.

Here was the searing key sentence: “There will come a time when I might have to be a bit more selfish in terms of where I want to play and making that clear,” Rooney said. Approximate translation: “I’ll challenge you if things don’t pick up.”

The significance of it won’t have eluded Mourinho. He, too, is a master of these choreographed occasions and will see that observation for what it is. Neither will it have passed him by that Rooney did not subscribe to the claim – put forward by Mourinho a few weeks ago – that the 30-year-old was mentally affected by criticism of his England performance in Slovakia. There was “a Wayne before the Slovakia game and a Wayne after the Slovakia game,” is how Mourinho put it. “You’ll have to ask him about that,” Rooney said. The look on his face painted a thousand words.

Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Breakthrough goal - 2002 Five days before his 17th birthday, Wayne Rooney scored a wonder goal against Arsenal in 2002 as the world realised his talent. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Switch to United - 2004 A £25.6m fee was soon agreed with Manchester United - despite interest from Newcastle - as Rooney switched Goodison Park for Old Trafford in 2004. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures On the international stage - 2004 It got better for the powerful striker when he scored four goals in as many matches at Euro 2004. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures The stunning goals continue - 2005 It wasn't long before Rooney had become a mainstay in Sir Alex Ferguson's United side, typified by his olley against Newcastle at Old Trafford. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures The red mist descends - 2006 Always a cantankerous player, Rooney's demons haunted him at the 2006 World Cup in Germany as he was sent off for a stamp against Portugal. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures First of many titles - 2007 Rooney had to wait until 2007 for his first taste of Premier League glory, scoring 14 goals as United lifted the title in 2008. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures European glory - 2008 A year later, Rooney was invaluable to Ferguson again as the north west outfit defeated Chelsea in Moscow on penalties to win the Champions League. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Controversy returns - 2010 As England struggled to a 0-0 draw against Algeria in South Africa, the former Everton striker told supporters exactly what he thought about them into camera. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures World Cup woe - 2012 Despite finally scoring for England at a World Cup in 2014, Rooney was unable to prevent a torrid group stage exit under Roy Hodgson in Brazil. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Contract talks - 2012 Rooney twice risked incurring the wrath of Ferguson during their time together, famously truning down a contract offer and threatening to leave until better terms were presented. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Success continues - 2013 In Ferguson's final season in charge, Rooney helped lift another Premier League title in 2013 alongside strike partner Robin van Persie. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Record breaker - 2015 In 2015, Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton's England goalscoring record with his 50th international goal from a penalty in a Euro 2016 qualifying match against Switzerland. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Switch to midfield - 2016 As Rooney began to age, then-United manager Louis van Gaal switched Rooney into midfielder where he helped the club lift the FA Cup in the Dutchman's last game in charge. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Mourinho era begins - 2017 Rooney lifts the League Cup trophy, the first major success under Jose Mourinho. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Record breaker, again - 2017 Rooney became United's all-time top goalscorer, beating Sir Bobby Charlton's long-standing record, after a last-gasp equaliser at Stoke City Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures European triumph - 2017 Rooney comes on in the closing minutes as United beat Ajax 2-0 to win the Europa League. Getty Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Return to Goodison - 2017 Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring against Stoke at Goodison Park, his first goal after returning to Everton (AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Wayne Rooney's career in pictures Retirement from international football - 2017 The England captain hangs up his boots in September 2017. "Every time I was selected as a player or captain was a real privilege and I thank everyone who helped me," he said. "But I believe now is the time to bow out." Getty

It is safe to say that Mourinho will not have been encouraged to row back on what – rather too hastily to this correspondent’s thinking - he said in his inaugural Manchester United press conference: that “with me, [Rooney] will never be a No 6, passing 50 metre from goal.” It feels as if Rooney has upped the ante and there can only ever be one winner when you play that kind of game and Mourinho is your manager.

Better that he remain true to the individual he is, though, than vanish into an obsequious acceptance of the fate he seems to have been dealt. The tribalism of our football contributes to this player’s talent being cherished far less than they might and the vicarious pleasure many take in the sight of him struggling but it will be the fighter in him which most will best remember when he has gone.

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If he is to prolong things and retain the captaincy of the national side for the tournament which he has said is his last, he will need to find an environment which allows him to operate in the deep midfield. That seems to mean leaving Old Trafford, who will not be sad to lose a £300,000-a-week salary if the recipient is warming a bench.