Juan Mata defends "important" Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney

Juan Mata has jumped to the defence of his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney by insisting that the striker is "important" for club and country.

Rooney has struggled to find the back of the net this season, having scored just two Premier League goals.

The 30-year-old recently became England's all-time leading scorer with 50 goals, but will play no part in Friday's friendly against Spain in Alicante.

"When we speak about Wayne we're speaking about the captain of England and my team Manchester United," Mata told reporters. "He's a very important player. He's scored more goals than anyone in the English national team and at United.

"I know he can play in different positions. At the end it's [Roy] Hodgson or [Louis] van Gaal who decides, but obviously if he's close to the box he will score more."

Rooney will start against France at Wembley on Tuesday.