England and Manchester United defender Phil Jones has declined to describe Wayne Rooney as the best striker within England's team, but insists that he is "up there" with the best.
Rooney has come under criticism of late as he has struggled to perform for United, scoring just two goals in his last 14 Premier League games.
The England captain is fighting Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane, who has scored six goals in his last four games, and Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy, who has netted 12 this season, for the main striker role at international level.
While Jones may not have placed Rooney at the top of the pile, the defender has praised his teammate, who recently became England's all-time leading scorer with 50 goals.
When asked by reporters if Rooney was still the country's best striker, Jones said: "We have a lot of good strikers. You cannot pinpoint a specific striker as who is the best, but he is up there.
"There has been a lot of speculation about him but he is Manchester United's captain, England's captain, the all-time scoring record holder and it speaks for itself.
"He is tough in training. Wayne is Wayne. He is a finisher, talker, scorer, leader and is aggressive. You need those players in your team."
England will take on Spain in an international friendly on Friday before facing France at Wembley four days later.
Danielle Joynson
