England legend Gary Lineker rates Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney ahead of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Liverpool's Fernando Torres.

In his column for the Mail on Sunday, Lineker declared: "It's fantastic for English football that we have a player, Rooney, who is even mentioned in the same breath as those two players.

"But I would go even further. Although he might not have the brute power of Drogba or natural goal instinct of Torres, his all-round ability means if I had £60million to spend on anyone in the Premier League, he'd be the striker I'd go for.

"Rooney is three world-class players in one and doesn't have an identifiable weakness, which is incredible for a player who has just turned 24. I hadn't even won my first England cap at that age.

"He is the consistent goalscorer whose ratio for Manchester United and England is the 'magic' one-in-two only the best strikers achieve. He is the pure footballer who can unlock a defence with a killer pass or create space with a sudden clever movement.

"And he is the unselfish team player who works harder than anyone else and can play anywhere on the pitch to help the cause; able to drop into midfield, go wide, operate as a lone striker or play in the hole, whatever the manager requires."