Fabio Capello fears Wayne Rooney is cracking up under the strain of spearheading England's World Cup bid.

Manchester United striker Rooney had his worst game for his country in the goalless draw with Algeria in Cape Town on Friday night – and Capello has warned that he is not untouchable.

The England boss insists that Rooney is 100 per cent physically fit following the injury problems that hampered him in the final weeks of United’s season.

And in an amazing assessment that could come back to haunt him, the Italian said that Rooney’s problems are “of the mind”.

Capello said: “Rooney is completely fit. In training you have to send him to the dressing room.

“Every time, he wants to stay on the pitch longer than all the other players.

“He is perfect when it comes down to fitness. It's not a problem of fitness, it is a problem of the mind.”

Capello feels that Rooney isn't the only England player struggling to cope with the expectation the nation's players are under.

But without his top striker firing on all cylinders, he will face the biggest test of his two-year reign to secure the victory over Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday that will keep England in the tournament.

Rooney hasn't scored in six appearances at the World Cup finals. The 24-year-old failed to hit the target in four games in Germany four years ago after winning his race against time to recover from a broken metatarsal.

And Rooney has not looked like hitting the target in draws against the United States and Algeria here in South Africa.

In fact, Rooney's last tournament goal was seven games ago when he bagged a double against Croatia at Euro 2004 – when he was a teenage Everton player.

It is inconceivable that Capello will go into the must-win clash in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium without the squad’s most prolific marksman. Rooney has scored 25 goals in 60 appearances for England.

But he hasn’t found the target in his last eight internationals, stretching back to the 5-1 win over Croatia at Wembley last September.

Rooney hasn’t scored in his last eight outings for club or country since he hit United’s goal in the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich on the night he was injured.

Capello added: “Rooney is not untouchable and I can also change things during the game. I will prepare we for this very important game that stands before us.

“But, yes, I am surprised that the players are not coping with the pressures.

“How can I improve the performance of the team? That’s a good question. In training it’s perfect. When we play it’s not the same.

“The fear of the World Cup is in the minds of the players. It’s incredible.

“These are not the players I know. I want to see the spirit of the team. It hasn’t been there during the World Cup.”