Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney has praised the leadership abilities of Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson.

Henderson will take the armband from Rooney for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Slovenia after interim England boss Gareth Southgate opted to drop the country's record goalscorer to the bench.

However, Rooney backed the decision to choose Henderson as his replacement, pointing out how he took over from Steven Gerrard when the midfielder left Liverpool as proof that he is up to the job.

"I think Jordan's a fantastic leader. He's taken an incredibly difficult job from Steven Gerrard and he's really grown into that position. He's a fantastic player with great leadership qualities," he told reporters.

"He deserves his chance tomorrow night to captain England. I'm sure for him it's a really proud moment and his family as well."

Meanwhile, Henderson talked up Rooney's importance to the team despite his relegation to the bench.