Wayne Rooney appointed the captain of Manchester United by Louis van Gaal

• Rooney named as club captain of Manchester United by Van Gaal
• Van Gaal: 'I believe he will put his heart and soul into his captaincy role'
• 'It is a huge honour for me - and for my family - to be named captain of this great club', said Rooney 
• Meanwhile, Darren Fletcher has been appointed vice-captain

Wayne Rooney has been named Manchester United captain by Louis van Gaal.

The Dutchman has been impressed with the England striker's approach since taking over at Old Trafford believes he will be perfectly suited to the role.

'For me, it's always very important, the choice of captain,' Van Gaal told the official club website.

'Wayne has shown a great attitude towards everything he does. I have been very impressed by his professionalism and his attitude to training and to my philosophy. 

'He is a great inspiration to the younger members of the team and I believe he will put his heart and soul into his captaincy role.'  

And Rooney himself added: 'It is a huge honour for me - and for my family - to be named captain of this great club.' 

'It is a role I will perform with great pride. Team spirit has always been very high in our dressing room and I am very grateful to the manager for the faith he has shown in me.

'I look forward to leading the team out on Saturday at our first match of the new season.'

Meanwhile, Darren Fletcher has been appointed United vice-captain, with Van Gaal acclaiming the Scot as a 'natural leader'.

'I am delighted to have been named as vice-captain,' said the Scot.

'It's a very proud moment for me and my family. Wayne and I have always worked well together and we will continue to work closely together in our new roles. I would like to thank the manager for putting his trust in me.'

Van Gaal added: 'Darren is a natural leader and will captain the team when Wayne isn't playing. Darren is a very experienced player and a very popular member of the dressing room, I know he will work well alongside Wayne.' 

Rooney is following in the footsteps of centre-back Vidic, who was captain of the club for three years before his departure for Inter Milan at the end of last season.