Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard says Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is among the best players "in the world" after his brace for England last night.

"I think, when Wayne is in this kind of form, he's up there with the best players in the world," he told Setanta.

"He's a special talent with the understanding he's got and his awareness is fantastic so it's a pleasure to play with him.

"He [Fabio Capello] is a good coach and has got us working fantasistically hard and is slowing building a team. There's a long way to go to get to where we want to be.

"Of course, when you're winning, you want the next game around the corner but it's nice to be top of the league. We've got a couple of friendlies where we can try certain things but, by the time the next qualifier comes around, I'm sure we'll be even better again."