Wayne Rooney and England can do a lot in South Africa, says Gilberto

Wayne Rooney's stunning exploits in front of goal this season have made waves beyond the frontiers of Europe, with Gilberto Silva, the Brazil midfielder, tipping him as a player to light up the World Cup finals, and one who must already be considered among the best in the world. "You can say he is at the same level as Lionel Messi, Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo," Gilberto said ahead of Brazil's final World Cup warm-up fixture against the Republic of Ireland at the Emirates Stadium tonight. "Rooney is doing very well. Year by year, he becomes better and better with the experience he gets. I am sure he can do a lot for England in the summer. In the Brazil dressing room, we look at Rooney very closely, especially if we have to face England in South Africa." Rooney's Carling Cup final winner for Manchester United against Aston Villa yesterday took his tally for the season to 28, and there is little doubt that the England manager, Fabio Capello, has come to consider him as his talisman. Capello's reliance upon the striker has arguably increased as some of his other key performers have struggled with injuries and for form this season, while there has been the well-documented controversy over John Terry and his stripping of the captaincy. Gilberto, though, said the Brazil camp continued to consider England as one of their principal rivals. "I think that England have had concerns but we cannot, as a possible opponent of them, focus on that and think that this kind of thing can disturb them," he said. "England is a very strong squad, a very strong team. We know that. England can do a lot in South Africa." Giovanni Trapattoni unexpectedly has Robbie Keane available for selection to face Brazil. The striker had withdrawn from the squad with a knee injury but felt better yesterday and, having been checked out by club doctors, Celtic declared him fit to join up with his national side. Dunga, the Brazil manager, will select his strongest available team against Ireland and, although the controversy over his omission of Ronaldinho continues to rage, supporters at the Emirates will see Kaká, Robinho and Adriano. Sections of the media in Brazil worry that the team is too heavily set in Dunga's defensive image, rather than along more enterprising lines, but Gilberto has begun to feel a tingle of anticipation. "Every day, we feel very anxious because we come closer and closer to the finals," he said. "Our preparations have been very good until now. We just have to keep it going. The Ireland game will be a good test for us. For sure, we want to finish our preparations well and keep our confidence high."