London: Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard believes that Wayne Rooney must maintain his fitness and form if the Three Lions are to have a chance of bringing the World Cup back from South Africa in the summer.
Indeed, the Reds star believes that the Manchester United man is the best player in the world at the moment, after a season which has seen him net 28 goals in all competitions so far.
"For England, I hope Wayne can sustain the way he is playing until mid-July," Gerrard told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
"His form this season has been special and I agree with Sir Alex Ferguson in that he is now in that bracket of world class and is up there with the top players in the world.
"From England's point of view, if Wayne can continue that kind of form until the summer he is going to be a key player for us.
"There are a lot of good players in the England squad but, the form Wayne is in, it is vital that we can keep him fit.
"Everyone will have their fingers crossed he can avoid injury and he is fit and in this form going into the World Cup.
"At the moment, on current form, Wayne is the best player in the world, in my opinion."
Gerrard also insists that Fabio Capello's England squad are fully focused after the recent media storm that has washed over prominent players.
"Is there any danger of England losing their focus? I don't think so," he affirmed.
"The World Cup is still three months away and, judging by training the last couple of days, the lads all seem focused and looking forward to the game on Wednesday.
"We are all getting really excited because the World Cup is really close and I am sure Fabio will ensure we do not lose our focus.
"But in any case the players have a responsibility to forget about what is getting written off the field and focus on what we can do on the pitch.
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