Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard will not allow frenzied speculation over their club futures to affect England's Euro 2004 campaign, insists assistant coach Steve McClaren.

Gerrard has been linked with a potential £30m move to Stamford Bridge, while Rooney is said to be the subject of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.

McClaren appreciates neither player can be entirely cocooned away from such talk within the England camp, even if agents have been banned from the team hotel.

However, he believes that Rooney, 18, and Gerrard, 24, are mature enough to cope with the attention and will not be distracted from their main goal - Euro 2004 success.

The Middlesbrough boss said: ''I don't think you can get away from the speculation or the headlines that Wayne has created over the past week with his performances. He's deserved that.

''He's been a revelation already and he's a coach's delight to work with. He does nothing but wants to play football. His temperament is fantastic, nothing fazes him, he's got no fear and although everyone is putting him on a pedestal, he appreciates that he needs the team around him.

''But I do think it's got to be handled well. In all his interviews, he's shown tremendous maturity.

''That's credit to the Football Association in giving him advice, to him, the people around him and the other players, who are keeping his feet on the ground.

''It's part and parcel of being a footballer. There is always speculation, players have to live with that for 12 months of the year, and we've got players here who can handle that very well.

''The atmosphere in the camp is absolutely magnificent. They're purely focused on doing well in this tournament.''

While Frank Lampard revealed his hope that Gerrard would join Chelsea this summer, the midfielder has refused to discuss club issues while on international duty.

Eriksson nevertheless did little to dampen speculation over Rooney's future when he admitted there would now be a ''queue'' of club bosses looking to phone his agent.

The England boss still allowed new Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez to visit the team hotel to speak to Gerrard, Michael Owen - whose long-term future is also in doubt - and Jamie Carragher.

However, while he did the same with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho during the build-up tournament in Manchester, the same welcome is not extended to agents.

Eriksson said: ''It was with my blessing that Rafael Benitez came to the team hotel.

''I think it's good for the manager, the club and the players for a new manager to speak with his new players.

''If agents wanted to come to talk to players about their futures, then I would be against it. Then again, I guess players with problems would be talking to their agents on the phone.''

l Switzerland striker Alexander Frei has been cleared of spitting at England midfielder Steven Gerrard and plays in the final Group B Euro 2004 match against France.

Frei was acquitted of spitting at Gerrard during the 3-0 defeat last Thursday and is now clear to line up against France tonight.

Frei said: ''I have no explanation for this affair because I did not spit on him. I am troubled by this, I am not sleeping very well and I feel very sad. From what I hear, Gerrard said at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning that he remembers nothing of the incident and four hours later he changed his mind.''