Wayne Rooney can inspire England to World Cup glory this summer, according to German football legend Franz Beckenbauer.

And Bayern Munich president Beckenbauer admitted his club are scared stiff of Rooney ahead of next week's Champions League clash with Manchester United.

Rooney has scored 33 goals this season and Beckenabauer, who won the World Cup as a player and a coach, hailed him as the best player in the world alongside Lionel Messi.

"Rooney is doing an absolutely fantastic job for Manchester United," said Beckenbauer.

"I must tell you that we at Bayern will fear him when we play United in the Champions League quarter-finals.

"He is a brilliant player who is playing better than ever. It's not easy to score 33 goals for your club in England, or anywhere else.

"If he continues scoring like that and playing like that he can win the World Cup for England.

"I think England will go to South Africa among the favourites along with Spain, Brazil and Argentina because, of course, Argentina have Lionel Messi.

"Along with Rooney, he is the best player in the world right now. They are different players because Messi is so fast and imaginative, while Rooney is so strong.

"But Wayne has made the biggest improvement to his game. He has changed the way he plays and, at 24, has added a maturity to his game.

"Playing as the front man, he makes it so hard for defenders to mark him and he's able to use the crosses from both wings so well.

"I have never seen him play better and I have been watching him for a long time now.''     

United take on Bayern in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie in Germany next Tuesday, with the return at Old Trafford on April 7.

Beckenbauer said Rooney will be the key man when the two sides meet in a repeat of their epic 1999 Champions League final, which United won 2-1 with two dramatic injury-time goals.       

"Of course we would like to knock them out for revenge for losing the 1999 final, but it's going to be tough," said Beckenbauer.

"And, of course, United have Rooney. Anything is possible but first we have to stop Wayne and no-one has been able to do that very often this season.''