Wayne Rooney praises Brendan Rodgers role in Daniel Sturridge development

England striker Wayne Rooney has praised Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers for his role in the development of Daniel Sturridge.

The Manchester United forward believes that the Reds boss has helped his international strike partner realise his potential as a top-class forward.

"He has turned into a top, top striker and it's great to see," Rooney told reporters. "Brendan Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for his progress.

"He's been at Man City, went on loan Bolton and didn't get a chance at Chelsea, where he played out wide on the right and then was left out of the team.

"He went to Liverpool and played almost every game. His goalscoring record is incredible. He's unpredictable, and that makes him hard to mark for defenders. He's a big player for us. That's a quality of his."

Rooney and Sturridge are expected to line up alongside one another in England's opening World Cup match against Italy this weekend.