Wayne Rooney reveals secrets behind his Man Utd captaincy
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed some of his secrets behind his captaincy as he continues to improve on the role which has given the Red Devils a huge boost recently.
Rooney, 29, was named captain of the side during the summer after manager Louis van Gaal took charge of the club. Many believed that the Dutch boss would select his ‘friend’ Robin van Persie as the club captain but due to their already good relationship the 63 year-old opted for the long serving Rooney – who has been at the club for 10 years.
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The England international, who also captains his country, has been relishing the role of leading out United this season and he has put in the performances to back up those extra responsibilities, with goals and hard work helping United win their last six games.
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United have nearly secured European football thanks to their commanding 4-2 victory over arch rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford. It was a huge win and one that gave the players something to smile about after a tough start to the season.
After six wins in a row, Rooney has received plenty of praise from van Gaal and players alike over his leadership qualities and spoke to manutd.com about his duties as captain.
"“I’ve always been quite vocal in the dressing room before games and I felt at the time it was right for me, after we’d lost to Arsenal in the cup, to put a few points across to the players which I thought might help the team. I’m not saying that’s why we won the games against Tottenham and Liverpool! [Laughs] But it certainly didn’t cause any harm doing it. It just felt like the right time for me to say something.”“It’s not something I do before every game [team talks]. I’m always talking in the dressing room and giving my opinions to try to help the players get ready for the game, but on those occasions it was just something a bit different and something I felt was right to do.“It’s nice to hear [praise from other players] but it’s not just me who speaks in the dressing room, there are a few of us. The most important thing is that the team keeps winning – that’s all everyone is focused on.”"
Manchester United’s record against the Top 6 in the Premier League this season is the best in the division, with 16 points from the 8 fixtures so far, losing just once. Rooney feels the preparation that goes into those games, as well as every other game, means that the club are always in a good position to win even before a ball is kicked.
"“I think we’ve been very well prepared going into those games. We put a lot of work and effort into making sure we’re in the right shape and set up in the right way to play those matches and that’s obviously helped us a lot because we’ve done quite well in them.“I think the performances have been coming. We’ve been getting better and, certainly over the last few games, people have seen that we’re playing good football, creating chances and controlling matches. If we continue to play like that I think it will be difficult for any team against us.”"
Rooney, 29, has been at the club a number of years and his energy and determination alongside the likes of Michael Carrick, Rafael and others is felt around the club.
The trio, along with Jonny Evans, are the longest-serving players at the club currently with many changes occurring at the club in recent times and many players have admitted to turning to them for advice when joining.
Carrick, 33, is the vice-captain of the Red Devils and his performances of late have been so impressive that he is now back in the England set-up, something that should have happened many years ago according to football experts. With Manchester United performing so well at the moment and in such good form, fans are excited about next season already.