Van Gaal Had Concerns Over Giving Rooney Manchester United Captaincy

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Dutchman felt it may be “too much”.

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that he had some concerns over handing the club’s permanent captaincy to Wayne Rooney, report the BBC, before deciding to tell Rooney to “let it fly”.

Rooney, who has captained United on occasion during the last few seasons, has been handed the armband on a long-term basis following his fine performances for United during their pre-season tour of the USA, during which he was arguably the most impressive performer for van Gaal.

Robin van Persie, who was van Gaal’s captain for the Netherlands during his spell in charge, and centre back Jonny Evans, were also believed to be contenders for the role – but van Gaal eventually decided to hand it to Rooney.

The manager felt that the armband may be “too much” for Rooney, but decided to give him the opportunity to prove himself worthy of the responsibility:

“I said to him that maybe it is too much for him to be captain. But let it fly, I said, let it fly.”

United were victorious in all six of their pre-season friendlies in preparation for the new season, including most recently against Valencia at Old Trafford, and will be looking to take that form into the first Premier League game when Rooney leads the side out against Swansea City on Saturday lunchtime.

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