England defender John Stones has claimed that Wayne Rooney has been "brilliant" in each of his 117 appearances for his country.
The captain has been the subject of intense criticism over his form for club and country recently, and was even booed by sections of the England support during Saturday's 2-0 win over Malta.
However, Stones believes that the 30-year-old is consistently one of the team's best performers and admitted that he was "shocked" by the treatment he received.
"He wears his heart on his sleeve and gives 110% and you can see that in every performance. I am a bit shocked that [booing] happened," he told reporters.
"I thought Wayne was brilliant. He has been every time he has played for England. In my opinion he is always up there and on form. The top players are always going to get the stick that gets piled on them because of the standards he sets.
"He has never dropped that in training once or in the games and I think that's why he has been a top player for so long."
England will resume their World Cup qualification campaign away to Slovenia on Tuesday.
Barney Corkhill
