Roy Hodgson says it will not be long before Wayne Rooney becomes England’s all-time leading scorer.
Much of the talk in the build up to the San Marino fixture had focused on the England captain's opportunity to use the game jump ahead of Jimmy Greaves’ tally of 44 goals.
And close in further on Gary Lineker and Bobby Charlton’s records of 48 and 49 respectively.
England 5-0 San Marino
European Qualifier Group E
Thursday 9 October 2014
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
As it was, Rooney scored one goal against the minnows so remains in fourth place, two behind Jimmy Greaves.
But his manager praised his overall performance and said he would not be losing any sleep over missed opportunities.
"We'd like to think, with the way he is and the footballer he is, he's got a good few years in him yet," said Hodgson.
"There are plenty of games left and I don't think we should put any pressure on him to reach targets early.
"The record won't play on his mind. The important thing is he keeps playing well and doing a job for the team and working as hard as he did against San Marino."
Rooney's first-half penalty in Thursday's 5-0 win over San Marino moved him to within seven goals of Sir Bobby Charlton's record.
“It was another good captain's performance, solid throughout.”
Roy Hodgson on Wayne Rooney
As the gulf in class began to show and San Marino legs tired, Rooney did have a number chances to close in further in the second half.
However, he was unable to add to his first-half strike.
“He got in a lot of times,” added Hodgson.
“His runs were very good. He's a bit disappointed with the chip. He thought that was on.
"I'm more than happy with him.
“It was another good captain's performance, solid throughout.”
