Jack Wilshere has insisted that Wayne Rooney is the perfect man to inspire England's crop of promising youngsters.

The Manchester United striker scored in the 1-0 friendly win over Norway on Wednesday, in his first game since inheriting the England captaincy from Steven Gerrard.

Arsenal midfielder Wilshere has revealed that he has always considered Rooney to be a natural leader, and feels that he was the "standout" choice as Roy Hodgson's new skipper because he can help the many young players in the squad.

"Even before he was captain, he was always someone I looked up to," Wilshere told reporters.

"He is a leader, a big person in the team and he's not scared to tell you when you're doing wrong, or doing right.

"He's the standout choice for me to lead this young team. He's vocal and puts his arm round us youngsters."

Rooney has scored 41 goals in 96 appearances for England since debuting as a teenager in 2003.