Capello confirms Rooney will play away (against Swiss!)

Fabio Capello gave Wayne Rooney a huge vote of confidence after insisting he will start against Switzerland tonight.

Capello admitted he was concerned about Rooney's state of mind and focus ahead of England's Euro 2012 qualifier after revelations that the Manchester United striker had an affair with a prostitute.

But England striker Rooney was the last to leave the training pitch in Basel last night as he stayed behind for extra shooting practice to prove his point to Capello.

England boss Capello said: "He will play. I monitored him during the training. He was good. He's focused on the game.

"I think during this period, when he was on the pitch, he forgot any problems he has.

"How he acted off the pitch was important, yes. I think it's important to stay with the players, to stay together, and to play.

"For the players to play it's a fantastic moment. You forget everything. I've spoken to him. But that will stay private.

"You have to be focused. You have to understand that every ball is important. If you lose the ball, you can lose the position on the pitch. If you lose the position, the opposition can capitalise. You have to be completely focused."

Capello confirmed that he held talks with Rooney to check up on him after the recent revelations that have left his marriage to Coleen in tatters.

The England boss was worried about whether Rooney would lose his cool on the pitch because of all the focus on him ahead of the Switzerland clash.

Rooney has a notoriously short fuse and yet Capello insists he has no fears about his star player and believes he is in good enough form to defeat Switzerland.

Capello added: "You have to separate, to divide, at different moments the private life and the job.

"You have to be strong to divide the two: you have to live the job really well, and find solutions to the problems - they are two different things. My job is the first part. The other part is his problem."

Capello is also set to start with Bolton's Gary Cahill in central defence alongside Phil Jagielka in an inexperienced back four.

Cahill trained alongside Jagielka last night even though the two centre halves and keeper Joe Hart only have 11 caps between them. It is another snub for Matt Upson and the West Ham defender will now be questioning if he has an England future.