Terry: Rooney is 'The Heartbeat' of the England team

England captain John Terry has branded Wayne Rooney the 'heartbeat' of the current England team, following his goalscoring heroics during the successful World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Chelsea defender believes Rooney is 'irreplaceable' in the team and that his growing maturity has helped him develop as a player.

"We have missed Wayne in big tournaments. When we have been at tournaments, he has picked up an injury and a suspension," Terry told the Daily Mail.

"Is he the one that is irreplaceable? I think so. I think we have seem him mature as a man and as a player in the last one or two years, grow up and take a lot of responsibility.

"I think before he lost his head on a couple of occasions and he has learnt from that and thankfully we are not seeing that side of him.

"We are seeing the real Wayne Rooney and he is one of the best with the problems he caused. He is in great goalscoring form for England and Manchester United. He has been the heartbeat of our qualifying campaign."

England will be without Rooney for tonight's dead rubber match against Belarus. He has been ruled out with a calf injury, but he'll be hopeful of recovering in time for Saturday's Premier League game against Bolton, as we look to get back on track after a disappointing home draw with Sunderland.