LONDON: England captain John Terry believes Wayne Rooney is back in the kind of sublime form that could turn his side into serious contenders for Euro 2012.
Fabio Capello’s team can take another giant step towards qualifying for the finals in Poland and Ukraine if they defeat neighbours Wales at Wembley on Tuesday and Rooney will be expected to lead the charge after ending his international goal drought in Friday’s 3-0 win over Bulgaria.
Rooney had gone 15 matches without scoring for England before he netted a header from Gareth Barry’s corner and then converted an Ashley Young pass in sink the Bulgarians.
As a result of Rooney’s double in Sofia, Terry and company need four points from their last two matches to guarantee qualification as group winners.
Terry was delighted to see Rooney transfer his club form onto the international stage and he is confident the Manchester United striker will remain England’s main man for the next 10 years.
“Wayne is flying again, he’s been excellent all week and he’s still very much at the forefront of this side,” Terry said.
“Everyone has been talking about younger players and older players but Wayne doesn’t really fall into either category. He still has an awful lot to give over the next 10 years, I’m very confident of that.
“He’s showed some great early form for Manchester United and just continued that when he linked up with England.
“He’s great to have around the camp as well, he never settles for anything less than winning, even in training, and his enthusiasm rubs off on the younger players.”
Rooney’s renaissance comes just over a year after his lowest moment in an England shirt when he swore at his country’s supporters after they jeered him and his team-mates following a dour 0-0 draw against Algeria at the 2010 World Cup.
Meanwhile, team manager Fabio Capello sais on Monday that Frank Lampard remains an “important” part of England’s squad, following the Chelsea player’s surprise axing last week.
Lampard’s international career was thrown into question on Friday after Capello omitted the 33-year-old from the starting line-up against Bulgaria—the first time in nearly four years the midfielder had been dropped.
It followed Lampard’s substitution at half-time in June’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland and prompted many to speculate that the Chelsea veteran’s England career may be drawing to a close.
However, Capello insisted Lampard remained part of his plans as England prepared for Tuesday’s Group G game against Wales at Wembley.
“Frank Lampard is a really important player. I think he’s ready to play with us. I don’t know if tomorrow he will play.”
“He is one of the important players and one of the leaders of this squad.” (Agencies)