Wayne Rooney has been announced as the new captain of Manchester United by manager Louis van Gaal, whilst Scottish midfielder Darren Fletcher, who has spent the majority of the last two years on the sidelines through illness, has been given the role of vice-captain.
The news came just minutes after the end of Manchester United's 2-1 win against Valencia, their final friendly game, and Louis van Gaal's first match at Old Trafford. Rooney and Fletcher were both heavily involved, with Rooney missing a first-half penalty and Fletcher opening the scoring on 50 minutes.
Both players made their first appearances for the 20-time league champions in 2003. Wayne Rooney was signed from Everton for close to £30million, whilst Darren Fletcher was promoted from the youth team at 19 years old. The two have gone on to make a combined 772 appearances at the club, Fletcher scoring 18 goals, whilst Rooney has scored 216, making him the club's third all-time goalscorer, only behind Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law.
The news may come as a shock to the majority of Manchester United fans, with the general consensus being that Robin van Persie, who starred for van Gaal's Netherlands national team at the World Cup, or Jonny Evans, who has continued to impress at the club in recent seasons. Phil Jones was also another candidate for the captaincy.
