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Terry Butcher: Wayne Rooney "one of the greats"

Former England skipper Terry Butcher believes that Wayne Rooney has matured as a player since being named as captain for both club and country this season.

Former England captain Terry Butcher has backed current skipper Wayne Rooney to surpass the 60-goal barrier at international level.

The 29-year-old took his tally in a Three Lions shirt to 46 with a brace against Scotland last week.

Gary Lineker sits two goals ahead of him in the all-time England standings, while Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 49 is now also within reach for Rooney.

"I see him as one of the greats," Butcher told BBC Sport. "Sixty goals would be magnificent but I think he could probably go beyond that.

"There's even more maturity to his play. He seems to have got a lot of confidence from that armband. "Look at the England players around him who can provide chances, we know he's a good finisher who can score great goals as well as tap-ins."

Rooney is also enjoying a purple patch for Manchester United, scoring in their 2-1 win away at Arsenal yesterday evening.

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Wayne Rooney of England celebrates as he scores their first and equalising goal from a penalty during the EURO 2016 Qualifier Group E match between England and Slovenia on November 15, 2014
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