Michael Carrick insists Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney deserves to be regarded as among the world's best.

Cristiano Ronaldo's departure for Real Madrid at the end of last season has allowed Rooney to emerge from the Portuguese's shadow during the current campaign and his form has improved ever since.

And with both Ronaldo and Argentina ace Messi struggling to ensure their countries qualify for the tournament, the attention on Rooney could be greater than ever but Carrick is convinced he will thrive under such pressure.

The former Tottenham player said: "You would have to put Wayne up there with the best players in the world.

"You can understand why those players are talked about. Ronaldo was brilliant over the last couple of years and Messi came into it last season but hopefully it will be Wayne's turn this season. It would probably surprise people to hear it but if you see Wayne before a game, he is very relaxed.

"He is often messing about but on the pitch it's a different story."