Thursday 6 October 2016 06:02, UK
John Stones insists captain Wayne Rooney remains a "key player" for England, despite currently being out of favour at Manchester United.
Rooney has endured a difficult start to the new Premier League season and has been left on the substitutes' bench for the previous three matches, having failed to score since the opening day success at Bournemouth.
As well as his form, the 30-year-old's position in the England team has also been a major taking point following his spell as a midfielder under Roy Hodgson at Euro 2016.
Rooney stressed on Tuesday he would play in any position decided by interim manager Gareth Southgate, even if that meant settling for place on the substitutes' bench.
But when asked whether he felt Rooney was still a big player for England, Stones said: "Definitely. He has been throughout the years. Every player goes through up and down patches.
"Wayne's always fully focused when he comes here and is a key player, as is everyone in my eyes."
Stones added: "I don't think you get the 115 plus caps that he's got [if you're not important]. He's an experienced player that knows the game inside out and there's not only him, I could fire off a good few names.
"They [the experienced players] are massive for me and the rest of the young boys coming through, giving us pointers in game situations and when things are not going so well.
"They've been there and been through those experiences before, it's kind of new for us in some respects.
"They are massive to the group and it's great that we get along, no matter what age you are, club you play for or if you're a new player to the squad, everyone seems to gel in quite quickly which is great. We've got a great team spirit about us."
England face Malta on Saturday at Wembley in their first fixture since the departure of Sam Allardyce last week and the subsequent appointment of Southgate.
Stones, who featured under Southgate for the U21s, was full of praise for the 46-year-old and revealed the lengths in which he goes to ensure every player feels settled in the squad.
"Meal times, down times, he is always making time to spend a few minutes to see how you are, how you are doing at your club and what he expects of you here," Stones said.
"I think we all know what we expect from each other, but it's good to have a one-to-one conversation with the manager, see what his thoughts are and see how we are moving forward.
"He's always been around the place, coming into our dressing room seeing all the senior boys. It's all familiar faces and it is good to come in and feel relaxed in your environment, knowing how he works.
"He knows us having come to many Premier League games, I am sure. It's been a good few days and all the boys are getting on, we're really enjoying it."
