Charlton Tips Rooney To Go Top

Sir Bobby Charlton has tipped Wayne Rooney to break his England goalscoring record - with his blessing.

Charlton scored 49 goals for England in an illustrious career but Rooney, 27, is closing in on his fellow Manchester United hero with 32 goals to his name.

And the 1966 World Cup winner claims he would be happy for the forward to be the man who finally takes his record.

"Wayne has the enthusiasm and talent to do it," said Charlton in a video message to the Soccerex conference in Rio.

"With a fair wind he can do it and I would be very happy with that because I like Wayne.

"I get the opportunity to speak to him every other week and he is not a bad lad. He is a good lad who loves the game and wants to be the best.

"I can see in him what I used to see in myself. He can't wait to get on the football field and he is magic. I have a lot of time for him because he is a good listener.

"I once said to him 'Can I give you a tip that might help? Don't be afraid to shoot. When you look up to have a shot, just smash the ball towards the goal as hard as you can. If you can see that rectangle, just smash the bloody thing'.

"We played Hull the next day and he did exactly that and scored!"