London, England (CNN) -- Wayne Rooney must be prepared for criticism from fans when he returns from injury for Manchester United, his former England teammate David James told CNN.
The striker has not played for the club since his controversial statement last month that he wanted to leave, which was followed by a quick change of mind and a subsequent lucrative new five-year contract.
Rooney went to the United States for conditioning treatment on his injured ankle, but is now being assessed ahead of a possible comeback in Saturday's Premier League match against Wigan.
The 25-year-old's apparent rift with manager Alex Ferguson split United fans, some of whom accused him of engineering the situation to get a better pay deal, and James said Rooney needs to accept that he will remain firmly in the media spotlight.
CNN
