World Cup 2014: Liverpool skipper to outscore Rooney

Steven Gerrard scored 13 Premier League goals in 2013/14

Steven Gerrard is a proven World Cup scorer, and an intriguing bet to be England's top goal-getter...

Of all the tedious topics for vacuum-filling pre-World Cup debate - the relevance of squad numbers, whether players are banned from tweeting, how many wives and girlfriends will be in attendance - nothing quite rivals the monotony of conjecture over how Wayne Rooney will perform.

A bewildering number of players and pundits, including the striker himself, have spoken about how he is determined to do well this summer, as if it is common practice to travel to a World Cup without intending to impress.

Paul Scholes, who is greeted with a baffling degree of reverence given how bombastic and sensationalist most of his opinions are, said that Rooney is past his peak and Roy Hodgson would be too scared to drop him.

Both Steven Gerrard and Hodgson have disagreed, yet none of the unrelenting discussion about the matter leads anyone closer to a helpful conclusion about what will happen once the talking ceases.

Betfair's England Top Goalscorer market rates Rooney a far from dominant frontrunner at 3.45n/a, though a record of no goals in eight prior World Cup appearances, the six blanks he fired in his final nine Man United outings of the season and a recent injury mean he can't be backed with confidence.

Strike partner Daniel Sturridge, who is still quite green at international level, is attending his first major tournament and could start out wide, is the only other single-digit candidate at 3.814/5.

The most important thing to be aware of when tackling this market is that it doesn't take much to claim the accolade, so it is surprising that the defenders and midfielders are such distant outsiders. Since Gary Lineker went goal wild in 1986 and 1990, no England player has fired more than two at a World Cup.

The genuine prospect of the Three Lions failing to clear the first round for the first time since 1958 - they are 3.412/5 third favourites to win Group D - makes it even more likely than a long shot will top the standings or tie for first and trigger a dead heat. Matthew Upson was one of the leaders in 2010.

Gerrard is without question the value bet at 10.5n/a, having participated at two prior World Cups and been joint-top or better in each, triumphing outright with two in 2006 and partaking in a three-way draw on one in South Africa.

Recommended Bet: Back Steven Gerrard to be England Team Top Goalscorer @ 10.5n/a