England captain Steven Gerrard jumps to Wayne Rooney's defence

Ahead of tonight's Wembley friendly with Peru – the final home game before the Three Lions jet out to their pre-World Cup base in Miami – the England skipper defended Rooney after Scholes' stinging criticism.

Scholes questioned whether England's management team would have the courage to ever drop 28-year-old Rooney.

Gerrard said: "I think Paul Scholes was wrong. Wayne has been Manchester United's best player throughout the season, both at home and in Europe.

"He's worked hard this week and he decided to do his own week of extra training. He seems in a much better frame of mind going into this tournament.

"I'm excited about where Wayne Rooney is at."

Boss Roy Hodgson, who will mastermind England's World Cup campaign, added: "I'd like to think that, as a manager and coach for a long time, I have the capacity to make the decisions that are necessary. And secondly, of course I don't think he's past his best."

Rooney underwent a special training programme in Portugal ahead of joining up with England's World Cup squad to ensure he had recovered fully from a groin injury he suffered towards the end of United's season.

He was troubled by injuries at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and in South Africa four years later – and was suspended for the first two games of England's Euro 2012 campaign in Poland and Ukraine. He has not flourished in a major tournament since emerging as the brilliant 17-year-old then playing for Everton in Euro 2004 and Scholes said: "Age 28 or 29 has been the normal peak. With Wayne it could have been when he scored 27 league goals in 2011-12 when he was 26.

"Wayne was in the Everton team at 16 in 2003.

"Since then he has played at Euro 2004, two World Cups, the Premier League and Champions League every year. There's a chance he's worn out."