Wayne Rooney has told his England teammates not to be fooled by Diego Costa's Chelsea form when they come up against the fiery striker in Friday's friendly away to Spain.
Costa netted 20 times last season to help the Blues clinch Premier League glory, but has struck just twice in 10 league outings so far as Jose Mourinho's men sit 16th in the table.
The 27-year-old has continued to make headlines for the wrong reasons after being hit with a three-match ban in September following an incident with Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny.
"I actually voted for him as player of the year last season because I think he was a huge player for Chelsea," Rooney is quoted as saying by talkSPORT.
"I think what Chelsea missed the season before was that fight up front and he gave them that and I strongly believe that's why they became champions. Obviously it hasn't gone as well as it did last season for him but I think he is a fantastic player.
"He's a fighter and I think that's part of his game and it's going to be very difficult for anyone to ask him not to do that. I feel that's in him - that fight. He thrives on that and that gets his team-mates going as well."
Rooney will play no part in tonight's friendly, but defender Phil Jones recently insisted that he will not fall prey to Costa's games in Alicante.
Shane Callaghan
