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Rooney: Ozil a fantastic player

Wayne Rooney is impressed by Mesut Ozil's talents © Getty Images

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Wayne Rooney has talked up the talent of Mesut Ozil ahead of England's friendly against Germany on Tuesday.

The two nations continue their respective preparations for the 2014 World Cup when they meet at Wembley this week, with England looking to bounce back from Friday's 2-0 loss against Chile.

Rooney recently faced Ozil in the Premier League as Manchester United beat Arsenal 1-0 to reduce the gap between the champions and the league leaders to five points.

The United striker is looking forward to the test that awaits against Germany, who were 4-1 winners when they last met in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup.

Asked about Ozil, Rooney said in the Daily Mirror: "He's a clever player, he doesn't stick to one position.

"He [Ozil] moves along the line and behind opposition midfield and can score and assist goals so he is a fantastic player and a test for us to deal with."

Rooney went on to highlight Germany's quality throughout their squad, and he stressed the importance of England improving on their performance versus Chile last week.

"There are so many. Thomas Muller works really hard and scores big goals," Rooney said. "You can't just pick one. The biggest thing they have got is that they are a team brought together that all know their jobs, that is why they are so difficult to play against.

"I think we're together, too. We have to take that out onto the pitch and that is why these games are important as we want to put the ideas of the manager into the game and sometimes you do a lot of it, sometimes if you are not fully focused or don't do it then you get punished.

"Against Chile we did some good things but they caught us by surprise with the way they played.

"We've got these two games and then we have to go back to our clubs. Then there is one more game before the summer comes. So these two games are really important for us and we have to try to stay fit and prepare ourselves right.

"Germany will be a completely different game. It will be a game we are used to a bit more. Chile showed us how South American teams play. They were a difficult team to get near to them.

"The Germany game will be more similar to a Premier League game. We should be ready for that. We have to move on now and prepare for Tuesday."

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