Rooney's double strike against Switzerland has made him the most talked about player in Europe right now, and the youngest ever to score in a European Championship finals.

Not surprisingly it has also led to a never-ending stream of compliments from players, pundits and coaches -not to mention a flurry of speculation over which of the world's top clubs would like to sign him.

With England's other star performer, Steven Gerrard, also the subject of never-ending stories, it's something that will follow the Three Lions squad for the rest of the tournament.

But the FA is doing everything possible to keep players focused on Euro 2004, and McClaren believes it is working.

He said: "Wayne has been a revelation already and he's a coach's delight to work with. He does nothing but wants to play football. His temperament is fantastic, nothing fazes him, he's got no fear and although everyone is putting him on a pedestal, he appreciates that he needs the team around him.

"I don't think you can get away from the speculation or the headlines that Wayne has created over the past week with his performances. He's deserved that. But I do think it's got to be handled well.

"In all his interviews, he's shown tremendous maturity and that's credit to the FA in giving him advice, and also to himself, the people around him and the other players, who are keeping his feet on the ground. It's Wayne Rooney this week but next week it might be another player.

"I think all the players realise they have to concentrate on Euro 2004. This is part and parcel of being a footballer and being in football. There is always speculation, players have to live with that for 12 months of the year and we've got players here who can handle that very well.

"The atmosphere in the camp is absolutely magnificent. They are purely focused on doing well in this tournament and doing as well as we can."

McClaren has been quiety satisfied with England's performances in Portugal so far, but he also believes there is plenty of room for improvement and expects to see an all-round improved display against Croatia.

"In tournaments like this, the team that starts the tournament well isn't necessarily the one that ends it well," he said. "The team that will win this tournament will be the one that gradually gets better as it goes on. Hopefully we can be that team.

"There is certainly no complacency in the camp at all. Anybody who can give France a game and draw, like Croatia did, deserves the respect of everyone - and they will certainly get that from us.

"They've got many dangers, they're technically very good, very quick and a good counter-attacking team. And it's not just Dado Prso up front, it's quite a few of them.

"I think we're ready for it. We lost the France game but we were still in the tournament. We can't lose tomorrow or we'll be out of the tournament. It's a knock-out stage now."

The team news for the Three Lions is generally positive. The only players not training are Nicky Butt, who has a knee injury, and Owen Hargreaves, has had a stomach upset.

"We're hoping Owen will be a lot better in 24 hours' time and can be considered for selection as he's been very valuable to us," said McClaren.

"As for Nicky, he's been running up to three-quarter pace on the treadmill and doing some quick feet. He's very optimistic and hopefully he will play a part if we stay here for the next two weeks.

"It's difficult to say when he'll be fit again though. When he first got injured, it was speculated that it would be three or four weeks' recovery time. He's still a long way from being fit, but we'll have to see."

McClaren also had some words of comfort for two of the England players who have not received entirely positive headlines during the tournament so far.

Michael Owen is still waiting for his first goal of Euro 2004, while Paul Scholes hasn't scored for his country for three years. But England's Assistant Coach is fully behind both men.

He said: "Michael would admittedly be disappointed that he hasn't scored a goal and probably played as well as he would have liked. But he's world-class and he gains the respect of every defender he plays against, and he will score goals.

"There was an improvement in the last game and, if he's not scoring, then he must do as he did against Switzerland - set up goals and create room for other people like Wayne Rooney.

"It has never been on the agenda to drop him. He has proved invaluable to England in the past, he's playing a major part in this tournament and I think he will only get better.

"As for Scholes, he's somebody who can link the play, who's got the vision to play that killer pass and open up a defence. It's an unbelievable stat that he hasn't scored for England for three years as he's regularly in the box, it just hasn't fallen to him.

"I think it's only a matter of time. He's an all-round player though, not just one who can get into the box and pass. He's one of those players who keeps defenders on their toes, which creates space for other players.

"I'm sure that his time will come and I would be very surprised if he ended the tournament without a goal. I think that's the beauty of our team at the present moment.

"Wayne Rooney is grabbing the headlines, but we've got so many other match-winners who have yet to win games and come forward. The likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard, there's match-winners all over the park."