Walcott scored three goals in the match, while Rooney scored one as England managed to beat Croatia 4-1.
He said: “He offers something a bit different. He is probably the quickest player I have seen.
“He showed glimpses against Andorra and he scored three great goals tonight.
“Sven-Goran Eriksson saw the talent in him in selecting him for the 2006 World Cup. It has been a bit of a roller-coaster for him the last two years.”
He added: “Tonight was a bit of revenge. It was a great performance and a great result.
“You always enjoy a 4-1 victory, especially after what Croatia did to us in the last qualifying campaign.”