To score 30 goals in a season is a great achievement - to bang in 40 or more is nothing short of sensational.
Several England strikers should be in action on Sky Sports this weekend but none can hold a torch to Wayne Rooney at present.
His double against AC Milan took his tally to 30 goals from 35 starts - 12 short of Cristiano Ronaldo's most prolific season for Manchester United in 2007-08 - and I'm sure there's plenty more to come yet.
Shining light: Rooney's in a rich vein of form but should he play up front alone in South Africa?
Ronaldo's 42-goal return was nothing short of startling because he was playing predominantly as a wide player.
In contrast Wayne is now playing where many believe he should have been all along, right up at the top end of the pitch where he can finish chances rather than help create them.
The way he's playing, and with the confidence he has in front of goal, there's absolutely no reason why he shouldn't get up to that 40-mark and go beyond it.
Of course, it helps if you play in a side that loves to cross the ball and it must be an absolute dream for Rooney to play up front in this United side.
Andy Gray
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It's within his ability to get there; he just needs to keep fit and hope his team keeps creating chances for him.
Belief
Sometimes you have to accept that a young front man will be a little bit hit-and-miss because he hasn't quite learnt the art of striking.
I think Sir Alex was alluding to that when he said he wanted Wayne to become a bit more like Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was a stunning finisher in his prime.
Wayne's taken that comment on board and is now starting to influence big games, such as the recent Carling Cup final and victory over AC Milan; doing that puts you up there with the Lionel Messis and Ronaldos of this world.
This summer he has the perfect stage in South Africa to prove that's where he belongs.
Wayne's more comfortable in front of goal now than he's ever been because he's getting in that position far more often. He's worked hard on his basic skills, including his heading, and developed a greater maturity and belief.
Heading is all about having technique AND timing and Wayne has improved both, whereas someone like Peter Crouch has very good timing but technically is not as good. That's where the difference lies for me.
Of course, it helps if you play in a side that loves to cross the ball and it must be an absolute dream to play up front in this United side.
They get the ball wide and know that if they deliver the ball in the box Wayne will be in there instead of hanging about 30 yards from goal looking to link up play.
Experience
On Sunday we should be able to compare Wayne with Bobby Zamora, who many are putting forward as a World Cup candidate.
I happen to think there are better players around than Bobby at the moment who are more deserving of a World Cup spot because they have more international experience.
Bobby's had a good season, there's no doubt about it, and I feel that another one next year will do his international prospects no harm at all.
But Darren Bent's goal-scoring record and experience makes his case for inclusion much stronger.
Bobby has always been a strong, athletic footballer but in the past his role has been too much about creating for others rather than selfishly doing stuff for himself in front of goal. He's never come across as the most clinical of finishers either.
However, he appears more selfish this season and more demanding upon himself which going forward only bodes well.
Pace
As for Darren, I feel he can do no more than he's doing.
He is as good as keeping Sunderland afloat single-handedly in terms of the number of goals he has scored and continue that he must, starting with Sunday's visit of Manchester City.
Signing him was a tremendous piece of business by Steve Bruce and he must be so pleased.
Everyone has their own opinion on Darren and many think that he might not contribute enough to the team in other parts of his game.
He's not the most natural finisher I've ever seen - like Bobby he does miss a few more than you'd like - but he can really hurt defenders with his burning pace.
Another thing I like about him is that he never drifts wide if he misses a chance. He stays in there and latches onto the next chance and that's a big credit to him.
Effective
Before that in Saturday's lunch-time kick-off we'll get to see what a shoe-in England international looks like - if Harry Redknapp decides to give Peter Crouch a run against Blackburn!
Peter has to be on Capello's team-sheet because of his England record; you can't argue with 20 goals in 37 internationals, particularly when not all of them were starts.
Emile Heskey's record does not bear comparison to Peter's. You want your No 9 to score you goals and, as far as England are concerned, Peter has done that.
The one question for me is his goal-ratio against the really top teams; that's where his record needs a little bit of scrutiny. He's proved he can do it against the weaker nations but can he be as effective given a run against the Spanish, the Brazilians and Argentineans?
I think that might be the question mark Capello has against Peter and Jermain Defoe. If you are going to play for England as a forward you have to be able to score against the best.
I think Jermain has got the ability, it's whether Capello can find a way of getting him in the team along with Wayne and get the best out of both of them.
Jermain likes to play on the last shoulder, high up the pitch, and so does Wayne; if the end result is that Wayne has to drop off then he wouldn't be in his strongest area.
Capello is likely to include four strikers in his 23-man squad for South Africa and the way it's gone so far you'd think they pick themselves: Wayne, Emile, Jermain and Peter. If that's the case, the likes of Darren and Bobby will have to wait.
System
I'm not sure whether Emile will ever produce enough goals-wise at international level but Capello likes him in his squad and who are we to argue?
However I can't help feeling that England have missed a trick here. United often play a system in Europe and the big games that features Wayne up front and five in midfield - it's a system that has worked incredibly well for them.
I don't see why England could play with Wayne on his own up front and then Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard tucked in, two natural wide players left and right and Gareth Barry in there.
If I was Capello I'd definitely give that a go because I think England are a little lop-sided when they play Steven on the left of a four-man midfield.
Wayne has proved at United that he doesn't need to play off someone, that he doesn't need someone like Emile as a target man.
But if that's Capello's thinking, he could do worse than look again at Carlton Cole; the West Ham lad is a young Emile with all of the same physical attributes but more goal potential.
Carlton will need to finish the season with a 10-goal spurt, though to have a chance of getting in. It's probably too late for Gabby Agbonlahor as well.
He's had a good season - not an earth-shattering one - but a good season and scored some decent goals but again, he's lacking experience and hasn't quite done enough for me to suggest that he can do it consistently at the very highest level.
As Wayne has proved, though, you're never too old - or young - to learn.
Comments (44)
Harry Singh (Manchester United fan) says...
Forget about Heskey. He is not even a regular at Aston Villa. I would choose either Zamora or Bent who have impressed this season. in my eyes i see Heskey as a waste of space on the England plane.
Posted 17:19 1st April 2010
Andrew O'leary (Manchester United fan) says...
saw adam johnson against sunderland the other day... he totally ran the show and even though he's young i think everyone should have a good look at him from now till the end of the season. the goal he scored... very few players in the world would've scored there. both wings are a concern for england. there's nothing quite world class. hope is gone now but i hoped they'd give beckham a go because with his crossing and rooney's heading prowess of late. but unfortunately beckhams out of the equation. i would really put james milner in... he's shown his class this season even though mostly in central midfield, but still he's a leader in the villa side and has developed into a real talent. on the left i'd go between Downing, A. Johnson and Ashley Young. otherwise i definitely agree with putting rooney up on his own with gerrard linking play. with that setup they'll have their best chance at the world cup.
Posted 13:33 16th March 2010
Roberto Mancini (Manchester City fan) says...
Looking for a "big/strong/target man"? Then forget about Heskey & rather look at Kevin Davies - Rooney, Davies, Crouch, De Foe the 4 that should be on the plane.
Posted 12:54 16th March 2010
Ashley Broadfoot (Aston Villa fan) says...
i think i have to disagree on the Darren Bent opinion of going to the world cup. Very much similar to all the talk of bobby zamora. the four england strikers in my opinion should be....Wayne Rooney of course Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, And i am a villa fan but i think we could really see Agbonlahors real talent at the world cup. where as my ideal line up would be Joe Hart in goal, centre backs Terry and Ferdinand right back Micah richards over johnson. left back.. Cole (if fit) if not maybe Leighton Baines or Warnock. Centre midfield...Barry, and Lampard in the middle Gerrard on the left and Milner on the right.. With Rooney in front of the midfield and maybe defoe or crouch playing the centre forward role or vice versa.
Posted 08:20 16th March 2010
Seb Hassel (Manchester United fan) says...
Carlton Cole didnt even get a mention how??? hes a better player then crouch, heskey. his work rate and holding up as well! i think defoe and rooney are certain but cole should be 3rd choice as a minimum
Posted 14:15 15th March 2010
Steve Watson (Manchester United fan) says...
I agree that 4-5-1 is the best way to go for England, seeing as the majority of our talent lies in midfield. I don't think we have another striker of the established quality required for the world cup (as the majority of candidates don't play regularly in Europe and/or have the necessary International experience). I think the whole idea of Gerrard and Lampard in the same team should be scrapped, it's had more than enough time to gel and simply hasn't. The time has come for Carrick to finally be given the nod to accompany Hargreaves (if fit, if not, Barry) and Gerrard in the middle. Against Egypt we were struggling to do anything in the game and his composure on the ball and ability to pick a pass shone. We were a different side after his introduction. The wings I think is a tough one. On this season's form the right side has to go to Lennon, with the left open for Milner, Young and possibly Adam Johnson, although it may be too early for him. I would like to see Joe Cole operate the role, however a different Italian boss needs to wake up and realise his talent. The back 5 I think pick themselves fitness aside. Rooney will shine at the World Cup and a final against Spain would be ideal.
Posted 13:28 15th March 2010
Chris Al (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...
England team to start the first game of the world cup(if all fit of course..!!!) 4-5-1 Hart; Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole; Lennon ,Lampard, Barry, Gerrard, A.Johnson; Rooney If Lennon doesnt make it then Ashley Young steps in. Subs bench: James, Dawson, Milner, Defoe, Crouch
Posted 13:16 15th March 2010
Chris Franklin (Manchester United fan) says...
Chances of Rooney getting injured before world cup??
Posted 21:44 14th March 2010
Henry Osaji (Manchester United fan) says...
For me in the group stage where is superioir to their other oponents they can stick to 4-4-2 but once they. Get into d knockout stages where they'd face teams lyk spain argentina brazil I thnk the 4-5-1 would be terrific with rooney up top alone as it works for united and england do hav d players to implement it even better than united.I wud play gerard behind roo and with lampard also suprting while lennon/walcott on d right,carrick deep and barry on left who wud tuckin wyl lamp n gerard bomb fwrd n do what dey do best-score goals for their team.for me the main reason y gerard n lamp hav never replcated their club form 4 england is bcos deyve never gotten d same freedom to bomb fwrd for england esp lamp n dis formation iwud be perfect for them.n with a beckham,milner n defoe on d bench capable of cmin on england wud hav a great chance in this world cup
Posted 12:07 14th March 2010
Jj Jones (Manchester United fan) says...
englands midfield is better than uniteds individually but collectively its not, in short you need 2 have the correct balance.
Posted 11:09 14th March 2010
Joe Bell (Sunderland fan) says...
i carnt believe people are still mentioning the word heskey for the england squad at this years world cup,and that andy gray would like to see gareth barry play in a 5 man midfield ahead of carrick,although i don't think a 5 man midfield is a bad idea with 2 attacking wide men especially in the later stages when you meet the better teams.the group stage should be a walk in the park and maybe heskey or crouch would do well against those teams but when it comes to the italians,germans spainish and last but not least the tournamount winners brazil those 2 players will be made to look foolish.i swear darren bent is ideal to partner rooney up front and not just because im a sunderland fan but his pace and goal to shot ratio are 2nd to none except rooney.also give gary neville a break,his expeirience is essential and he had ronaldinho in his pocket last week showing us why we would be mad not to take him to the world cup.
Posted 11:05 14th March 2010
Gulrez Raza (Manchester United fan) says...
I believe Mr/Sir Ferguson should have a word with the Italian England Coach Capello about how to get the best out of wayne rooney! We surely know! but it seems Capello doesn't also having two strikes means Rooney will drop back more often in search of the ball as you may of seeing against Egypt... tiredness and altitude will get to him and wouldn't have impact on the pitch unless something is done! Also England don't have many good crosses of the ball unless we play beckham but that means Gerrard will slot into midfield and Carrick!
Posted 02:06 14th March 2010
Michael Hitchins (Manchester United fan) says...
If Capello believes that he is taking England to the World Cup to win then, Heskey and Crouch are not going to be in the England squad. However, if you see there names England will again be coming home empty handed without even a sun tan. Heskey is like a leach that sucks the life out of a person and keeps hanging on. It's what he does when he plays for England, he sucks all the life out of the supporters hearts!! It rather horrible to watch but, you ask yourself is that they feeling you get when you see him playing for England these days? As for Crouch its what he hasn't shown us England fans. He doesn't produce when the chips are down and for such a tall lad he is horrible in the air. He loses out to players a foot shorter than himself and he tends to drift out of matches if someone gets stuck in a few times against him. He isn't what England need either so, Capello should think twice to include this duo. Unless he's just there to collect his paycheck like Sven did the last go round. I hope that he's in it to win and so, do all the England fans round the world I'm sure.
Posted 19:36 13th March 2010
Chris White (Arsenal fan) says...
Rooney is such a class act I'd fancy him to score in whichever formation england choose. At the moment I feel England are weak in the goal keeping department and have yet to develop a cohesive midfield unit. While Lampard and Gerrard are great at club Level, they have often failed to fire at International level and positioning them has often been the problem because both play similar roles for their club. Barry has shown some promise..but I feel we need a real grafter in the fletcher mould to allow the others to play more freely. I'd have Lampard centrally, supported on the wings by Young and Lennon( or Walcott) with a grafting player ( Hargreaves, Carrick, ) ..I'd then have Gerrard playing off Rooney...Defoe and crouch on the bench....and I'd definitely take Becks and Milner to south africa
Posted 17:59 13th March 2010
Jamie Martin (Manchester United fan) says...
They tried the 3-4-3 a few years ago with Rooney as the sole forward but the reason it didnt work like it can for many continental teams was because we had Joe Cole and Beckham providing width and they both dont have the pace to support Ronney....but what i loved the most was the great tactian Alan Shearer complaing at Half time that Lampard and Gerrard werent supporting Rooney and leaving him isolated and didnt pick up the issue we had with NO PACE outwide. if we went down this route i think Capello would probably be looking at Walcott/Milner...Im a big fan of Young and would like to see him brought into the squad for the role above as the formation works the best on counter attack where the world cup will be won this year
Posted 15:12 13th March 2010
Craig Waters (Manchester United fan) says...
england should play 4.5.1 at the world cup rooney up front on his own gerrard, lampard just behind with tom huddlestone holding in midfeild with lennen and milner on the wings huddlestone is better then barry and carrick,
Posted 14:34 13th March 2010
Grant Gurey (Ipswich Town fan) says...
I wholeheartedly agree regarding the formation with Rooney alone up front. I'd like to see Carrick start in midfield though, he is easily England's most talented passer of the ball. In Egypt, it was only when Carrick came on that England truly controlled the game. With someone like Barry alongside him in the middle of the park to do the dirty work, he would be free to spray the ball around and start attacks.
Posted 13:51 13th March 2010
Adam Smith (Manchester United fan) says...
Look guys, Gerrard and Lampard in the same team simply doesn't seem to work all that well. As for the centre of midfield, look what happened the other week. It was plainly obvious to see that the moment Carrick came on, we got hold of the ball and his passing ability and vision from the centre of the pitch was there for all to see. Has Barry been in great form this season, I personally think he's had an alright season but not a great one. I would go with 2 up top against the lesser teams of Rooney and Crouch, because defenders who don't play against him week in week out really don't know how to handle Crouch. I guess Defoe would be the answer against the bigger teams, but am open to being convinvced otherwise. Milner - what ability, can cut inside, can go on the outside, pacy, good with the ball at his feet - a real threat. Someone else mentioned the importance of Beckham, and they are right, in the latter stages of the world cup in particular, in a tight game, he is a great option from the bench just to provide that bit of quality to unlock the best defences. My starting XI: Hart, Johnson, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Lennon, Gerrard, Carrick, Milner, Rooney, Crouch Rest of my 23 man squad: James, Green, Brown, Lescott, Jagielka (if fit and back in form), Wright-Phillips, Beckham, Lampard, Barry, J Cole ( please play him Chelsea), Defoe, Agbonlahor (pacy and causes problems)
Posted 11:50 13th March 2010
Edd Suth (Manchester United fan) says...
i dont know why people view barry as a holding midfielder he is not that at man city and he cant be. The holding midfield type england need is the roy keane type which happens to be owen hagreaves, but a softer approach will be carrick. I also agree with gerard playin behind wayne in a 4-5-1 formation.
Posted 11:17 13th March 2010
St B (Liverpool fan) says...
Erm, isnt it funny how everyone is banging on about only playing players in form and instantly suggesting gerrard should play off rooney ?! I think i'll leave it to capello he seems to know a thing or two about this kickball thingy.
Posted 10:59 13th March 2010
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