Wayne Rooney has sung Michael Carrick 's praises after his cameo against Italy on Tuesday night , saying the England midfielder was the best player on the pitch 'by a mile ' . Carrick , who plays with Rooney at Manchester United , replaced Chris Smalling towards the end of the first half with Roy Hodgon 's side struggling at 1-0 down . But England went on to level courtesy of an Andros Townsend stunner , and Rooney believes Carrick played a huge part in the friendly draw . Michael Carrick was the best player on the pitch after he came on against Italy , according to Wayne Rooney . Carrick celebrates with his team-mates after Andros Townsend 's strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for England . 'The best player on the pitch by a mile was Michael Carrick , ' Rooney told ITV after the game . 'He came on and dictated the game for us you - saw how much control we had after that . I think he was the big difference between two teams in second half . ' Ross Barkley was also introduced in the second half and impressed alongside Townsend and Carrick at the Juventus Stadium , as England bounced back after Graziano Pelle 's opener . England captain Wayne Rooney strikes the ball at goal during the friendly international in Turin . Hodgson also reserved praise for United midfielder Carrick , who has only been capped 33 times by his country . He said : 'Michael did very well . We experimented in first half , Jones did well , but we missed players like Carrick and Wilshere . 'There might come a game when we need a Phil Jones-type in midfield . ' Carrick , who was also praised by manager Roy Hodgson , applauds the fans at the final whistle .
Michael Carrick replaced Chris Smalling towards the end of the first half . Andros Graziano Pelle cancelled out Townsend opener with stunning strike . Wayne Rooney says Carrick was the difference between England and Italy . Ross Barkley and Graziano Pelle also impress off the bench in Turin . CLICK HERE for Martin Samuel 's match report from Turin .