Rooney ponders Slovakia's Škrtel factor

England's young charges are riding the crest of a wave, rather than battling a steep learning curve, insists Wayne Rooney.

The skipper says his inexperienced team-mates have shown maturity on the UEFA EURO 2016 stage and have risen to the occasion, which Rooney knows can be dazzling to fresh faces.

"I think it's not just in the tournament – we've seen [maturity] in the qualifying campaign and certainly over the last six months in the players," the 30-year-old said. "I think the players knew they had to play with a maturity if we were to do well in this tournament – they had to stand up. They've done that so far, and I'm sure and I'm hoping that it will continue.

• England's Vardy prolonging the party
• Who needs what to qualify for the last 16?

"The mood, the atmosphere with the players is great," continued Rooney, who has been used in a deeper, midfield role by manager Roy Hodgson here in France. "It's a really, really good atmosphere after the win against Wales, so we're looking forward to the game tomorrow."

The next test comes on Monday night at Stade Geoffroy Guichard in Saint-Etienne, where they face Slovakia. Currently occupying third place in Group B, the Slovaks boast some familiar threats, including Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel.

Rooney added: "I think all the players have played against Škrtel, so they know he's a physical, tough centre-half and he's difficult to play against. So I'm sure the players are aware of that. They've probably played many times against him, and sometimes it's not a bad thing to play against someone you know so well and who you play against every season.

"They'll know his game, but on the flip side he'll know our players' games. So it'll be an interesting game but one that – if we play the way we can – we can come out on top of."