Peter Crouch is being tipped to play a leading role for England in the World Cup if fellow striker Wayne Rooney fails to recover from a broken foot.

Gavin Peacock, who played with Crouch at QPR, thinks his former team-mate could prove to be a big hit in Germany. 'Crouch is becoming a big player for England now,' Peacock told BBC Sport.

'He's not an out-an-out goalscorer, as we all know, but he can hold the ball up and bring people in. What he needs to work on is his heading at goal.' Crouch silenced some of his critics by scoring and setting up the winner for Joe Cole in the 2-1 victory over Uruguay in March.