Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has questioned Wayne Rooney's decision to retire from international football.
On Wednesday, Rooney announced that he was calling time on his England career after netting 53 goals in 119 appearances for the Three Lions.
However, Eriksson - who gave Rooney his debut in February 2003 - has called on the Everton forward to reconsider his call to end his national team career at the age of 31.
The Swede told Sky Sports News: "It is a fantastic career, sometimes he has been criticised but fact is fact - the games he has played and goals he has scored. During my time he was world class, you don't score than number of goals without being.
"If I was the manager I would try to convince him to delay [the international retirement] until after the next World Cup."
Rooney has retired just six caps short of matching Peter Shilton's all-time appearance record.
Darren Plant
