"The doctors made me aware that if there was contact, it would be alright. There'd be no problem," he said. "That took a lot of the pressure off me."

And after nearly two months on the sidelines, the games can't come soon enough for Rooney.

"I'd like the games to come quicker, although you probably do need the rest," he said. "You can just want the games to come round and get on with them."

Rooney has started England's last two matches, which included playing the full 90 minutes against Ecuador in the second round.

"There is still more to come from me in this tournament, with every game and every training session I'm getting better and fitter," he said. "Hopefully by the time the next game comes I'll be back to my best."