Rooney scored eight goals in 39 matches for United last season as he struggled to beat out the club's new signings and younger players for a regular starting spot.
The 31-year-old is hopeful of a different scenario after re-joining his boyhood club after 13 years at Old Trafford.
"I love playing for England," Rooney told reporters during his first press conference for Everton on Monday.
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"Of course Gareth had to make a decision... I wasn't playing the football that I like and I don't think you should play for your country if you are not playing for your club.
"He told me that, if I get back playing every week, then the door is still open. I want to play for England. I am focused on Everton, getting back playing and doing well and, if I do well, Gareth Southgate will have a decision to make."
Rooney, who has 119 caps for England, also said that he would be forced to retire from international football if he had moved to a Chinese club.
"If I had gone to China, which was an option, then I would have called it a day. It's the time difference, the difference in the standard of the league," Rooney added.
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
