Jonny Evans relishing battle with Wayne Rooney

Jonny Evans is relishing the chance to pit himself against former team-mate Wayne Rooney this weekend.

Albion's centre-half called the England captain one of the top four players he's ever played with, alongside Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But the Northern Irishman isn't worried about Rooney, quite the opposite in fact.

"Sometimes the better the player you're playing against the more you have to raise your game and sometimes it helps you produce your best football," said Evans. "We all love that challenge."

There have been questions over Rooney's form this season.

Now 30 years old, there are those who believe his legs have gone.

He's not the threatening beast of technical brilliance he once was.

But Evans, who made 196 appearances for United and went to Rooney's 30th birthday party, disagrees.

"Wayne Rooney is such a good player, on his day he's one of the best in the world," he said.

"It's funny, little things like that happen, little spells, and people automatically try and write people off but Wayne Rooney's a fighter.

"I'm sure he'll relish this opportunity to prove people wrong.

"He'll just brush it off. I'm sure he'll take a few things on board and he'll try to put it right but he's had a career under the microscope and it's not always an easy place to be.

"He's got a strong personality to deal with it."

Read the full preview of Man United v West Brom in Friday's Express and Star.