Wayne Rooney says Jose Mourinho has been 'fantastic' on Manchester United training ground

Posted Saturday, July 30, 2016 by Skysports.com

Rooney has been impressed with Jose Mourinho

Wayne Rooney says Jose Mourinho has been "fantastic" at getting his message across as Manchester United prepare for the new season.

The England striker admits their plans have been disrupted by a cancelled friendly against Manchester City in China and the advent of international tours in general, but insists training has been "really good".

Rooney, for whom a testimonial against Everton will be held in his honour next week, also believes new signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly have improved the squad, with Paul Pogba expected to follow shortly.

Rooney, who returned to training on Thursday after his post-Euro 2016 break, told Sky Sports News HQ: "Jose's been fantastic.

"Training's been really good and preparation has been going well; you can see why he's been successful with the way he works and how he gets his message across.

"We just want to get to the games now. We've got one in Sweden (against Galatasaray) that I'm forward to. As always, as a footballer, it's exciting to play under a new manager and you're always getting those butterflies to get the new season started.

Wayne Rooney says Jose Mourinho has been 'fantastic' on Manchester United training ground
Rooney trained for the first time with Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Thursday

"The squad looks good too. The signings we've brought in are really good and they'll help us to try and win the Premier League. They've got quality and experience, which is needed, so it's an exciting time to be a United fan.

"When you have a tournament in the summer, the preparation is a bit disrupted for the managers, in a way. Some players come back early, some a few weeks later.

"The testimonial is an extra game for the manager to pick which players he wants and a few might benefit from the game, and I'm sure it's the same for Everton. I'm really looking forward to it."

Wayne Rooney says Jose Mourinho has been 'fantastic' on Manchester United training ground
Rooney did not feature in United's defeat to Borussia Dortmund

Rooney's testimonial will not only honour his 12 years of service and 519 appearances but also raise funds for four charities through the Wayne Rooney Foundation.

Speaking from Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool, where he has been visiting children, he said: "Winning trophies are the biggest highlights as a player. My 12 years at United has gone quick and I've enjoyed it.

"There's been highs and lows. Hopefully there'll be a few more highs to come soon in the near future, and I'm grateful to United for giving me the chance to play for them for so many years, and be successful with them; it's what we all want and want to do again soon."