Tottenham and Newcastle United legend Chris Waddle has no doubts England fans love Manchester United star Wayne Rooney in the same way they treated Paul Gascoigne.

In his column for the People, Waddle wrote: "He has that phenomenal appetite for the game which essentially makes him a street footballer. I always had this mental picture of Gazza driving home after training, seeing a bunch of kids playing by the side of the road and stopping to join in. I could imagine Rooney doing that.

"I've seen Gazza do some daft things on the pitch and Wayne has exploded when he's been wound up, then gone rampaging into a crunching tackle that makes you wince.

"Rooney is brimming with so much confidence and belief when he goes on the pitch and I love players like that. The money in football is huge but I question how many players really love the game.

"With Rooney and Gazza you know the answer. They'd play every day of the week if they could.

"And when fans see that they idolise you even more and deservedly so."