Heskey hails 'great' Rooney

08 June 2009 13:32
Emile Heskey has paid tribute to England strike partner Wayne Rooney ahead of Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against minnows Andorra at Wembley. Both were on target in Saturday's 4-0 victory in Kazakhstan, which for Heskey meant a first competitive international goal for seven years. Rooney and Heskey have established themselves as the first-choice partnership under coach Fabio Capello, and the Aston Villa man is delighted with how things are going. "Wayne Rooney's a great player, he's shown it for his club on many occasions and for England so it's working well," he said. "It's nice to get on the scoresheet but I'll keep plugging away and hopefully get some more." England's victory in Almaty made it six from six on the road to South Africa and a seventh win at Wembley seems a certainty given Andorra's lowly position. But Heskey insists England will have to be fully focused, particularly given the amount of travelling they have endured over the last few days. "It's going to be a difficult game after coming back from Kazakhstan, we're very focused and hopefully we'll get the result," he added. "It's difficult with the time difference, I've felt tired all the time, but hopefully it'll be okay." While Heskey has re-established himself in the squad, there is still no place for fellow striker Michael Owen. There have been rumours the Newcastle man could be a target for Villa this summer, and Heskey would relish linking up with his former Liverpool and England strike partner. "It would be nice," added the 31-year-old. "Obviously Michael's a great player, he's shown that on many occasions. He's been knocked and got up and performed again."

Source: Eurosport