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Paul Scholes has challenged Roy Hodgson to have the "balls" to drop Wayne Rooney from his World Cup team if his former team-mate is not playing well enough.

In a remarkable intervention from a player who shared a dressing room with Rooney for more than a decade, Scholes insisted Brazil represents the striker's final chance to prove he is a world great.

And if Rooney fails to show signs he will deliver during England's warm-up games against Peru, Ecuador and Honduras, Scholes said that Hodgson and his management team, including close pal Gary Neville, have to have the courage to make the biggest possible selection call.

Scholes said: "The England management team has to get the best from Wayne Rooney for the World Cup.

"He's got a brilliant scoring record for his country but he's played in eight World Cup games without a goal.

"You expect more of him. If Wayne is going to be one of the best footballers in the world, this World Cup is where he has to produce."

Scholes added: "I'm not saying Wayne needs to be dropped but if form doesn't get up to scratch in the warm-ups, or in the first game of the World Cup, it'll be interesting to see if the England management team has the balls to make that decision.

"We have quality forwards in the squad this time. That should give Wayne the competition he needs to spur him on a little more.

"Maybe Wayne has felt the pressure of playing for England in the last two World Cups when he's not scored. I know how difficult it can be.

"To get the very best from Wayne in Rio, the manager needs to tell him: 'Don't bother running back. Stay up top. Stay centre forward. Score goals. That's your job in my team'."