Lionel Messi tells Manchester United to 'never let Wayne Rooney leave' and praises 'exceptional quality' of England striker

Messi doesn't believe the idea that England can't produce players of 'exceptional quality' is true

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (Getty Images)

Lionel Messi has labelled Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney an "exceptional" player and believes he is evidence that England can produce players of world class.

The Barcelona ace was busy last weekend picking up his fourth Champions League winners’ medal after the 3-1 victory over Juventus in Berlin, which comes as the latest in a long line of success for the Argentinian forward.

With four Ballon d’Or awards to his name, Messi has a legitimate claim to being the best player in the world – although Cristiano Ronaldo may have something to say about that – but the 27-year-old has taken time to praise the England captain.

When asked in an interview with Shortlist if England struggle to produce world class players, Messi said: “I am not sure that it is true.

“If you look at the technical ability of a player like Wayne Rooney, he is as good as any player in Europe.

“Rooney has exceptional quality. Not just great technical ability, but also works very hard for his team.

“I'm sure Manchester United will never want to let him leave, though.”

United and England skipper Wayne Rooney

Rooney does look to be far more settled at United under Louis van Gaal having been given the captaincy last summer, and the striker produced the most goals for the side last season with his haul of 14 taking his overall tally for United to 230 goals in 479 matches.