England captain Wayne Rooney is hopeful that in-demand Jack Grealish will snub the Republic of Ireland in favour of representing the Three Lions.

The Aston Villa midfielder - who was born in Birmingham - is eligible to represent the Boys in Green but rejected a call-up for Sunday's friendly with England in Dublin.

The high-profile snub is thought to be linked with a desire to play for the country of his birth, and Rooney hopes that turns out to be the case.

"I think it's down to him really," he told The Independent of the 19-year-old. "I'm a firm believer that the country you are born in is who you should play for, but the rules are the rules."

Tomorrow's match will be the first time that the nations have clashed in Ireland since a friendly was abandoned after 27 minutes in 1995, after England fans ripped off seats and began lobbing them at the home crowd.