Klinsmann warns Rooney must dig deep

Former Germany and Tottenham striker Jurgen Klinsmann believes Wayne Rooney will have to dig deep to cope with his new status as a superstar.

Former Germany and Tottenham striker Jurgen Klinsmann believes Wayne Rooney will have to dig deep into the reserves of his character to cope with his new status as a superstar.

Klinsmann declared himself a huge fan of the 18-year-old Everton striker whom he named alongside Ashley Cole in his tournament dream team.

But the German star believes Rooney will have to become involved in "politics" because he is now the talisman for the team.

Klinsmann said: “He (Rooney) reminded me of the way Michael Owen came into the scene (in the 1998 World Cup) and I hope like Michael he can keep to that level.

“It will be tough for him more psychologically than physically especially in a big media country like England and it will be interesting to watch how he develops for the 2006 World Cup.

“I was glad Michael came back after he started (Euro 2004) quietly but improved game by game and his last game (against Portugal) was his best.

“The biggest challenge for Wayne Rooney is the psychological one because until now he was just a kid who has not had to get involved in the politics of the team.

“Now he has a new status he will have to defend.”

Klinsmann believes Rooney and Cole have been two of the revelations of Euro 2004.

Klinsmann, accompanied by Portuguese legend Eusebio at the press launch for his dream team, said: “Ashley Cole was great even if England went out earlier than expected.

“I think he had a tremendous tournament and was one of the big surprises.”

Of Rooney, Klinsmann said: “He was an inspiration for the tournament and at the age of 18 played as if he has been around forever. He was strong, dynamic and just fun to watch.

“He really deserves it for the way he fitted into the whole tournament.”

Another teenager to get the nod was Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Klinsmann said: “He has had a really inspired tournament. He is fun to watch with pace, skill and loads of tricks – it is like watching a kid playing in the streets.”

Klinsmann believes the performances of the youngsters has been one of the features of the tournament.

Klinsmann singled out the match between the Czech Republic and Holland in Aveiro as the best in the tournament with the Czechs coming back to win 3-2 after trailing 2-0

“It was just fantastic to watch,” said Klinsmann who was a member of West Germany’s World Cup winning side in 1990.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s Mastercard XI: Edwin van der Sar (Holland); Georgios Seitaridis (Greece), Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal), Jaap Stam (Holland), Ashley Cole (England); Luis Figo (Portugal), Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece), Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal); Milan Baros (Czech Republic), Wayne Rooney (England).