Legendary Liverpool striker Ian Rush believes England can win the World Cup, backing the deadly partnership of Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney to take them all the way.
Bookmakers in Britain have elevated England to joint second-favourites behind Brazil to win the World Cup next summer and Rush is not about to disagree.
”I think Brazil have to be favourites. They’ll be hard to beat but England, why not,” the Welshman said in Singapore.
”They’ve got Owen and Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard — players that can score goals. They’re a bit vulnerable at the back but I do believe when you have Owen and Rooney in the side that they are capable of beating anyone in the world.
”If they can stay fully fit and everyone is available, it would not surprise me if they did win the World Cup, even though Brazil are up there.”
Rush, who terrorised defences in his heyday, scoring 346 goals for Liverpool, said it was the best chance England have had for many years to lift the ultimate footballing prize.
”England’s squad is the right age to win the World Cup. They genuinely believe they have a chance to do it and after beating Argentina [in a recent friendly] I’m sure they’re going into games thinking they can win.
”They got a bit of stick when they played Northern Ireland but [Sven-Goran] Eriksson’s job was to get them to the World Cup finals and he’s got them there.
”The bigger the games, the bigger players people like Rooney and Owen will become.”
Owen’s international goal tally has now reached 35, and it seems a matter of when rather than if he passes Bobby Charlton’s record of 49, while Rooney has already netted 11 times in just 28 appearances.
Although Rush, in Singapore as a pundit for broadcaster ESPN, believes Owen and Rooney are the key, he also said lanky Liverpool striker Peter Crouch should be in the frame for Germany.
”He gives them a different dimension. He’s just lacking confidence right now,” he said of the much-criticised striker, who is struggling to score goals.
”As Wayne Rooney pointed out, when he came on against Argentina, they were 2-1 down and they won 3-2. He did have an effect on the Argentinians.” – Sapa-AFP