England captain Wayne Rooney deserves more plaudits for adapting to a central midfield role, according to his predecessor Steven Gerrard.
Rooney has evolved from an out-and-out striker into a deeper lying playmaker over the last year and proved effective in his new position during England's run to the European Championship knockout stages.
However, Gerrard believes that his friend and former England teammate deserves more respect for the transition.
"There should be greater appreciation for how he has evolved his game," Gerrard told the Telegraph. "It is not easy to go from being a striker, to a No. 10 and then a No. 8, as he is at the moment. Not all players can do it.
"It involves seeing the game from an entirely new perspective, knowing how and when to change the tempo. You have to be able to weigh your passes, see the bigger picture across the park, control the game and at the same time get involved in far more duels with players than you would as an out-and-out striker. You go from being the goal scorer to the creator.
"To make that transition successfully -- particularly at international level -- takes an unbelievable amount of skill and the most mature football brain."
Rooney's future in the national team and for club side Manchester United have both been questioned in recent months, but Gerrard believes that the former Everton academy graduate has shown where his future lies.
"At the moment, Wayne is showing he can play the latter part of his career playing that so-called 'Paul Scholes role'," Gerrard said.
Rooney will captain England from central midfield when they take on Iceland in the Euro 2016 second round on Monday evening.