England skipper, Wayne Rooney, salutes Michael Carrick’s display in Italy draw.

England captain Wayne Rooney has hailed midfielder Michael Carrick’s display in their 1-1 friendly draw with Italy on Tuesday night.

Rooney says Carrick was the best player on the pitch by a country mile after he came on for Chris Smalling just before the interval.

Rooney told ITV Sport: "The best player on the pitch by a mile when he came on was Carrick.

"He dictated the game for us. You saw how much control we had. 

"He was the big difference between the teams in the second half. 

"It is a friendly, we are missing players, but a good chance for the players who came to give the manager something to think about."

Southampton striker Graziano Pelle gave Italy the lead in the 29^th minute but Andros Townsend salvaged a draw for the Three Lions with a stunning long range effort in the 79th minute at the Juventus stadium in Turin.