Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has urged England coach Fabio Capello to play Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney on his own upfront.

Ahead of England's do-or-die clash with Slovenia, Shearer wrote in his column for The Sun: "I am not jumping on to anyone's bandwagon here because I have been advocating this from the very start.

"We need to switch from a 4-4-2 and use Wayne Rooney up front on his own with Steven Gerrard tucked in just behind him.

"The reasons are simple. The so-called smaller nations have worked out a way to combat 4-4-2.

"They just flood the midfield and are forcing England to play it long up to our big man Emile Heskey.

"I do feel a bit sorry for Emile because everyone - me included - has been quick to point out his lack of goals, and he is lacking confidence in the penalty box.

"But the problem is deeper than that. Teams like the United States and Algeria have not just worked hard and frustrated us. They have passed the ball better than us."