New England captain Wayne Rooney admits the players need to win over the fans again following a poor World Cup campaign.
The Three Lions beat Norway 1-0 in a friendly at Wembley on Wednesday night as part of the side’s preparations for the opening Euro 2016 qualifier in Switzerland.
A record low attendance of 40,181 saw Rooney, 28, begin his spell as skipper with the only goal of the game from the penalty spot on 68 minutes, with England ushering in a new era following the retirements of veteran midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
And Rooney, who has also been made captain by Manchester United, concedes there is work to do in order to get the fans back onside again.
He said: “We are grateful for the fans who were at Wembley to support us.
“We understand that after the World Cup, it is difficult for everyone, the players and the fans, so we have to make sure we do well in the Euro 2016 qualification campaign to make those fans believe again and hopefully we can do that on Monday night.”
Rooney has now set his sights on the qualifier at St Jakob-Park in Basel on Monday night as Roy Hodgson’s men look to kick off with a morale-boosting three points against Vladimir Petkovic’s side.
The former Everton youngster added: “We know we have to be better against the Swiss if we are going to get the victory there.
“We will work hard now and be ready, hopefully we can come back with a victory.”
England are priced at 2.80 to beat the Swiss who are slight favourites at 2.50 for the win, while the draw is available at 3.10.
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