Wayne Rooney remained Manchester United’s prime leader – even when benched, it has been revealed.

Rooney was back in the starting line-up for victory at Swansea City last week.

Recalling the win over Leicester City, a source told the Mail on Sunday : “Wayne stood up, looked everyone in the eye and delivered one of the best pre-match talks I have heard

“That was when we knew he was up for the challenge and wasn’t going to sulk about it.”

Another source said: “He basically got his head down and concentrated on his football. He has been as good as gold.”