The knives are out for Wayne Rooney among the England fans, who feel that the Manchester United star is no longer undroppable.

Rooney came out all guns blazing after the recent clash with Ecuador, claiming he had "no interest" in what his critics had to say. Unfortunately for the forward, he appeared equally uninterested on the pitch and looked anything but lethal - despite scoring a tap-in - during the match in question, and was equally sluggish and peripheral during this weekend's goalless draw with Honduras.

England legends Paul Scholes and Gary Lineker have both been scathing about the United forward's fitness and his trouble adapting to playing on the left flank, where Roy Hodgson has fielded him in the last few fixtures. They claim that he is off the pace and far from at his best.

There is a widespread feeling that the 28-year-old, who was the last English winner of the Golden Boy award, hasn't fully fulfilled his promise. He failed to score at either of his previous World Cup finals and his international strike rate has dwindled to a mere 0.4 goals a game, compared to 0.5 a match at club level.

There is a groundswell of opinion calling for Everton's Ross Barkley, whom many consider the new Rooney, to get the nod. As Frank Lampard notes, "There's a lot of similarities in there, in their build, where they come from and where they play… I see the similarities: great ability on the ball, running at people with the ball, and that's what you want to see".

Barkley, 20, also learned his trade at Goodison Park and is cut from the same cloth as Rooney in terms of his explosiveness. English fans have been bowled over by the youngster's rampaging runs and energy, and his popularity and great performances have given Hodgson a selection headache.