While Rooney still believes he could have been back sooner, he acknowledges wiser counsel eventually prevailed.

"If I had played earlier, I would not have been being fair to myself," he said. "I would not have been 100% fit and there would still have been a risk of it breaking again.

"Obviously, if there was a chance to play I would have loved to do so, but in the end, the right decision was not to."

Aside from hitting the goal trail again - something he badly needs to do for England having failed to hit the target in competitive combat since Euro 2004 - Rooney has also shown flashes of temper, which has threatened to land him in more trouble with referees.

Yet he insists any disciplinary problems are now a thing of the past, even if no-one should expect to see him smiling during Saturday's Wembley encounter with Estonia - at least until England are winning.

"I don't get fed up with people talking about my temperament because I don't think there is a problem," he said.

"If we are not winning I am not smiling, if we are winning I am.

"That tells you how much I want to win the game.

"Losing or drawing a game can cost us the league or a cup. I want to win all the time. If I don't, I am not happy."