I've made my peace with the fans after our World Cup nightmare, insists Rooney

Wayne Rooney believes he has made his peace with England fans and is restoring his reputation as the country's talismanic player.

He ended a miserable run at international level as he grabbed a double - his first goals for the country in a year - in an impressive display as Bulgaria were beaten 3-0 in Sofia.

It had his former England and Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville calling on Fabio Capello to protect him from burn-out at the European Championships finals next summer.

Thank you: Wayne Rooney applauds the England fans

But the striker wanted to pay tribute to the fans who had once turned against him.

'What happened, happened. I'm sure the fans see that when I play, I give 110 per cent,' said Rooney, who swore at supporters when they booed the England team at last year's World Cup, after a 0-0 draw with Algeria.

'The fans were great on Friday. I thank them for their support and hope they enjoyed the evening. I enjoyed the game. At the top of the pitch, especially, we had a lot of energy and a lot of movement, with players rotating, making it really difficult for their defence to cope.'

Rooney's mood was a far cry from that which caused him to round on fans after that dismal draw against Algeria in a group game last June.

All smiles: Rooney celebrates scoring against Bulgaria

It was also a world away from the problems he endured with United last year, as he turned against the club and threatened to leave before making his peace with them and their fans.

But if his form suffered then as a result of the turmoil, it is now benefiting just as much from his contentment off the pitch.

Rooney said: 'Since the World Cup of last summer, we have responded really well and, through the qualifiers, we have done well. I think it was a great win against Bulgaria and if we win on Tuesday against Wales we've more or less qualified, so that's our aim.'

Once qualification is secured, Neville wants England manager Capello to give Rooney special treatment in Poland and Ukraine because the country's hopes are sure to rest on him.

'Other than goalkeeper Joe Hart, there is no other player we would struggle to replace as much,' said Neville.

Committed to the cause: Rooney battles with the Bulgarian defence

'Wayne Rooney is in the zone at the moment. He's at a point in his career where he has been through success and failure. He has had ups and downs on and off the pitch, and nothing fazes him.

'He is a great player and now the key is to get him to a summer tournament fresh. We've dragged him to the last two World Cups with injuries and he limped out of Euro 2004. We need to make sure he's playing with the freshness that he showed against Bulgaria on Friday night.

'I would even consider dropping him for the first group game - give him an extra week off, allow him to recuperate. Do whatever it takes.

'England need Wayne Rooney fresh and enjoying his game at the quarter-final stages and, hopefully, beyond. That should be the plan.'

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The same could apply on Tuesday after Rooney suffered a foot injury in the latter stages of the Bulgaria victory. But the England camp have allayed fears about a repeat of the metatarsal problems of his past.

'I just landed a bit awkward on it, the physios took a look at it and it's fine,' said Rooney. 'I'll be taking part in training this week ahead of the Wales match.'