David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson lauded Wayne Rooney after the striker was once again influential for Manchester United on Wednesday.

Rooney scored twice to seal a 4-0 victory over AC Milan in the second leg of the first knockout stage of the Champions League, making it 7-2 on aggregate. Rooney hit four of the goals across the two matches, having found the net twice in Milan.

Beckham said: "Wayne is such an exceptional talent.

"Without a doubt he is one of the best players, if not the best, in the world at the moment with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi."

Rooney has now scored 30 in all competitions this season, beating his career best of 23 in a season and leaving him 12 short of the 42 Ronaldo notched in 2007/08.

Ferguson believes Rooney must now start targeting his former team-mate's record: "That has to be his goal now doesn't it?

"He continued tonight what he has done all season - he was absolutely sensational.

"[But] it was a marvellous performance from all my players, especially in the second half when our second goal effectively ended the contest."