Pele has revealed that he would like England striker Wayne Rooney in the Brazil side.

The La Selecao legend talked up the importance of the Manchester United striker to the Three Lions, and admitted that Rooney is a player who he would have liked to have seen turn out for his own national team.

Sky Sports News quotes Pele as saying: "I would like him in my team, you know.

"Wayne Rooney has not scored [in the World Cup finals] but he was fantastic for the team. He was always the player who fought more for the team.

"The World Cup is a very short tournament and the experienced players always do well. England have a difficult group but I think they could qualify."

Meanwhile, Rooney has claimed that England are better than World Cup rivals Italy ahead of the two sides' meeting on Saturday.