Gerrard has confidence in Rooney

26 June 2010 19:00

England skipper Steven Gerrard warned Germany that Wayne Rooney's World Cup is ready to spark into life in Bloemfontein.

The Manchester United forward has never scored for England in two World Cup tournaments and has failed to hit the net since March.

However, Gerrard is unconcerned, saying: "The pressure is not just on Wayne but on the whole team. Top players put pressure on themselves and I'm sure Wayne is doing this in his spare time."

He added: "But it is only a matter of time before Wayne scores in this tournament.

"I have every confidence that he will play well (against Germany) because he played well in the last game and he is looking really sharp in training."

Gerrard insists England will be ready for all eventualities - including the last 16 meeting going to penalties.

England suffered the heartbreak of losing the 1990 World Cup and Euro 96 semi-finals to Germany on spot-kicks.

He said: "We are very confident going into the game. We are on the back of a good performance against Slovenia.

"The mood is good, we have prepared hard for this game and we will do whatever it takes to get across the line into the last eight.

"It is going to be a very difficult game. Ideally we want to win the game in 90 minutes but if we have to go to extra-time and penalties, we will be ready."

Source: PA