England coach Steve McNamara has revealed that he expects Sam Burgess to return to rugby league in the future.

Burgess decided to switch codes less than a year ago and the Bath centre did enough to catch the attention of Stuart Lancaster, who named him in his squad for the World Cup.

Many ex-players were quick to label his inclusion as one of the reasons behind England's failure to reach the quarter-finals, and McNamara is certain that the 26-year-old will play rugby league once again.

"At some point I am sure he will come back - whether that is six months, 12 months, three years, five years, who knows," McNamara told BBC Sport. "It is the game he was brought up with.

"I couldn't be more proud of Sam. He deserves huge credit for being one of the world's best at rugby league, then to give it away to challenge himself in a really uncomfortable environment and be an international in the space of 12 months."

Burgess played 13 times for England before moving to union.