Peter Crouch wants to see Wayne Rooney back for England - even though it could spell the end of his run in the team. Crouch has looked increasingly comfortable at international level since Rooney was forced out with a broken foot.

He has scored four goals in the last three games and Sven-Goran Eriksson has a tricky selection problem looming. Crouch said: "It's important to have Wayne back. The fact that the manager has named him in his squad shows he was always confident he would be fit. He's looking fit in training now and it's important we have him back because he's a top-class player. We need everyone fit if we're going to do as well as we can in the World Cup."

Rooney will take his place among the substitutes for England's game against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday and could play the last 20 minutes, depending on how the game unfolds. The striker, out for more than six weeks, is most likely to appear if England have the game in the bag and the minnows are not too aggressive.

The Caribbean islanders played physical football against Sweden in their first game and will not change their style as long as they are in contention against England. Eriksson's dilemma is whether he sends on Rooney to play with Crouch or Michael Owen.

Crouch is, without doubt, in better shape and form but Owen's goalscoring pedigree is outstanding. Thirty-six international goals is his argument for playing but the Newcastle striker does not cut a happy figure at the moment. In contrast, Crouch came off the bench to score against Hungary and then fired a hat-trick against Jamaica in the warm-up friendlies for the World Cup.