ENGLAND boss Sven-Goran Eriksson says Euro 2004 teenage sensation Wayne Rooney is the best young player he has worked with.
Eriksson rates the young Rooney higher than Azzurri great Roberto Baggio, whom he coached in Italian club football, and Portugal playmaker Rui Costa.
Eriksson opened up on just how highly he rates Rooney in the wake of the England nO 9's two-goal blast against Switzerland on Thursday.
"I've had many young talents in the past - Rui Costa, Roberto Baggio, Paulo Sousa - I don't remember every one of them," said Eriksson.
"But Wayne Rooney is something very special, I must say, the best of the lot.
"He has been absolutely fantastic. I'm not surprised he's the man of the moment - not only in England but in the whole of Europe - being an 18-year-old and playing football like he is doing and scoring goals.
"I think he'll be even better in the future. He can improve still, I'm sure about that."
Eriksson is also impressed with the way Rooney is dealing with the pressure.
"He's not making a lot of fuss or talking a lot - he just goes out and does it.
"He's not worried if the opposition is France, Croatia, Switzerland or Turkey.
"It's like he's going out on a school pitch and saying, 'Give me the ball and I will enjoy myself.'
"He has his feet on the ground very, very much."
Eriksson is hopeful UEFA do not decide to take Rooney' s second goal against the Swiss away from him, after originally crediting the striker with the effort.
The coach said, "I don't know how UEFA look at these things but it would be a pity if it's decreed an own goal.
"Rooney did everything and I hope the goal is his."
Rooney was one of two major issues thrown at Eriksson during yesterday's press conference in Portugal.
The other, which was strenuously denied by the coach, was talk of a players' revolt at Euro 2004.
There have been suggestions the England players forced Eriksson to abandon his diamond formation in favour of a flat-four midfield ahead of the Rooney-led 3-0 defeat of Switzerland.
But Eriksson was adamant he did not back down ahead of the victory, which revived England's hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals from Group B.
The Swede said, "A players' revolt? No - absolutely not true.
"I had meetings with the players, yes. I started with that in 1979 and I have always had it with the teams I have had.
"Football is very simple, you have to make the strategy, you have to explain it, you have to be sure the players understand it and you have to be sure they accept it - because it is not me going out there it is the players doing it.
"It is my job to make sure they are happy and understand it.
"We tested the two formations in a lot of training sessions and I decided in the evening what to do."
Back on the Rooney beat, Eriksson was quizzed about the Everton man's yellow card against the Swiss.
Another booking against Croatia and he would be suspended for the quarter-finals if England were to progress.
However, Eriksson said he could not contemplate leaving out the Everton youngster.
"It is a concern but you can't worry about that because we have to beat Croatia or draw with them to go through," he explained.
"As a manager I can't think about leaving Rooney out and hope we win the game.
"He has to play and hopefully he will be clever enough not to get a yellow card."
The Swede admitted England had played better against France than against Switzerland but conceded the outcome was the only thing that concerned him.
"Maybe it is better to play badly and win rather than play well and lose," he said.
"We have to be better in possession of the ball. We lost the ball many, many times in the first half against Switzerland in a bad way and we must keep the ball, especially in the climate out here.
"I am quite sure we will do better but I don't think we can go out thinking we can make a draw against Croatia. We have to go out to win because it is dangerous.
"We will try to win the game, that is the best thing we can do."
Eriksson also dismissed growing concerns over Michael Owen's form despite the Liverpool striker looking a shadow of his former self and being substituted in two games so far.
"I think he played better yesterday than he did against France," the England coach said.
"He had more runs and I think it's coming. I am quite sure he will score goals."
Eriksson rates the young Rooney higher than Azzurri great Roberto Baggio, whom he coached in Italian club football, and Portugal playmaker Rui Costa.
Eriksson opened up on just how highly he rates Rooney in the wake of the England nO 9's two-goal blast against Switzerland on Thursday.
"I've had many young talents in the past - Rui Costa, Roberto Baggio, Paulo Sousa - I don't remember every one of them," said Eriksson.
"But Wayne Rooney is something very special, I must say, the best of the lot.
"He has been absolutely fantastic. I'm not surprised he's the man of the moment - not only in England but in the whole of Europe - being an 18-year-old and playing football like he is doing and scoring goals.
"I think he'll be even better in the future. He can improve still, I'm sure about that."
Eriksson is also impressed with the way Rooney is dealing with the pressure.
"He's not making a lot of fuss or talking a lot - he just goes out and does it.
"He's not worried if the opposition is France, Croatia, Switzerland or Turkey.
"It's like he's going out on a school pitch and saying, 'Give me the ball and I will enjoy myself.'
"He has his feet on the ground very, very much."
Eriksson is hopeful UEFA do not decide to take Rooney' s second goal against the Swiss away from him, after originally crediting the striker with the effort.
The coach said, "I don't know how UEFA look at these things but it would be a pity if it's decreed an own goal.
"Rooney did everything and I hope the goal is his."
Rooney was one of two major issues thrown at Eriksson during yesterday's press conference in Portugal.
The other, which was strenuously denied by the coach, was talk of a players' revolt at Euro 2004.
There have been suggestions the England players forced Eriksson to abandon his diamond formation in favour of a flat-four midfield ahead of the Rooney-led 3-0 defeat of Switzerland.
But Eriksson was adamant he did not back down ahead of the victory, which revived England's hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals from Group B.
The Swede said, "A players' revolt? No - absolutely not true.
"I had meetings with the players, yes. I started with that in 1979 and I have always had it with the teams I have had.
"Football is very simple, you have to make the strategy, you have to explain it, you have to be sure the players understand it and you have to be sure they accept it - because it is not me going out there it is the players doing it.
"It is my job to make sure they are happy and understand it.
"We tested the two formations in a lot of training sessions and I decided in the evening what to do."
Back on the Rooney beat, Eriksson was quizzed about the Everton man's yellow card against the Swiss.
Another booking against Croatia and he would be suspended for the quarter-finals if England were to progress.
However, Eriksson said he could not contemplate leaving out the Everton youngster.
"It is a concern but you can't worry about that because we have to beat Croatia or draw with them to go through," he explained.
"As a manager I can't think about leaving Rooney out and hope we win the game.
"He has to play and hopefully he will be clever enough not to get a yellow card."
The Swede admitted England had played better against France than against Switzerland but conceded the outcome was the only thing that concerned him.
"Maybe it is better to play badly and win rather than play well and lose," he said.
"We have to be better in possession of the ball. We lost the ball many, many times in the first half against Switzerland in a bad way and we must keep the ball, especially in the climate out here.
"I am quite sure we will do better but I don't think we can go out thinking we can make a draw against Croatia. We have to go out to win because it is dangerous.
"We will try to win the game, that is the best thing we can do."
Eriksson also dismissed growing concerns over Michael Owen's form despite the Liverpool striker looking a shadow of his former self and being substituted in two games so far.
"I think he played better yesterday than he did against France," the England coach said.
"He had more runs and I think it's coming. I am quite sure he will score goals."
