There have been question marks placed over Rooney’s temperament and speculation linking him with a big-money move away from the Merseysiders.

But Rooney, who remains England’s youngest-ever goalscorer, has shown that he can compete at international level.

He came of age in the home Euro qualifier with Turkey at the Stadium of Light 13 months ago and could start alongside Michael Owen in the tournament opener with France in Lisbon on June 13.

Eriksson said: “We all know what Wayne Rooney is capable off. He is an exciting talent and I am sure he is mentally ready for the summer.

“Physically he is ready, of course, but I am sure that mentally he is also ready for the big tournament ahead. He will be important for us.”

Eriksson repeated his admiration of Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane whom he has described as the best striker in the world and the top player in Europe respectively in recent times.

But he insisted that he is not talking down England’s chances against the current European champions with such tributes.

He said: “It is beautiful to see Zidane play football, and to take the ball off him is not easy, while Henry is the number one striker in the world.

“But by saying that I don’t think I am building up France or playing down England’s chances. It is a fact but we also have an excellent squad.

“If I was the manager of France, Croatia or Switzerland, if you were presented with a fully-fit England squad with all the big names, then you would have a lot of respect for us. They should have.”

There were few surprises when Eriksson named his squad of 23 for the summer although he does have until June 2 to make any changes should he so desire.

Jermain Defoe is on standby as the 24th member of the party and will participate in the Sardinia training camp and the tournament in Manchester against Iceland and Japan.

But Eriksson insisted that Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell is making good progress with his hamstring problem and that is likely to scupper Defoe’s chances of making the plane to Portugal on June 7.

Eriksson has in his mind his starting XI to play France but the form of Frank Lampard is putting pressure on Nicky Butt.

The England chief said: “I think Lampard is knocking on the door very, very hard and he has had a fantastic season. I think he could play anywhere in midfield.

“But for me Butt is also an important player even though he has not been playing a lot for his club. I have spoken to him and he is fit and has been working a lot. The two friendly internationals will hopefully help him to be at his peak.”

Eriksson is also confident that skipper David Beckham will be able to control his temper during the finals.

The volatile side of Beckham’s character flared up again on Sunday night when he was sent off when playing for Real Madrid against already relegated Murcia in La Liga – his second dismissal of his debut season in Spain.

Beckham was given his marching orders after aiming a foul-mouthed tirade at a referee’s assistant.

But Eriksson has no qualms about Beckham being able to handle the pressure and keep his temper in check.

Eriksson said: “Real Madrid have had a difficult time since Christmas and it is difficult for all of them. They are used to winning.

“I guess in any club when your objective is to win the Champions League, the league title and the domestic cup and then lose everything, it is difficult.

“But I am not worried about David Beckham. I am 100% sure he will have a very good tournament and he will behave on and off the pitch as he always did.”