Ex-Chelsea boss Gullit: Man Utd striker Rooney can be world No1

Former Chelsea and Newcastle United boss Ruud Gullit says Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney can become the world's best player.

In his column for the Daily Mail, Gullit wrote: "The first time I saw Wayne Rooney, he was a boy who was hungry and eager. He had to prove he would become the player everyone thought he would be. And that he was hungry enough to develop. I thought he was just another good boy with a lot of talent but he had to be given the time to mature.

"Rooney's performance in the San Siro on Tuesday night showed us that he is now up there with the best in the world. If he is to make that final step to the very top, he needs to produce a match-winning performance in a massive game, like Lionel Messi did in last year's Champions League final or Ronaldo the year before. That would make him the very best and I'm certain it will happen for him."