Wayne Rooney has told ​Sky Sports he kicked Manchester United's coaching staff​ out of the dressing room before delivering a captain's speech to his teammates ahead of March's win at Liverpool.





The 29-year-old was handed the armband amid the departures of Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs, who became the assistant to manager Louis van Gaal, last summer.





And Rooney is rumoured to have taken a hands-on approach to his new role, with talk of him delivering speeches before crucial matches - something the striker confirmed when posed the question by ex-teammate Gary Neville.





“I’ve done it throughout the season," Rooney said. "I think a few of the players spoke about that one [the speech against Liverpool], in particular.









“It was just we got beat in the FA Cup, at home to Arsenal, and then we had Liverpool coming up, Man City coming up, so we knew we had some tough games.





“I just felt, as a reminder to the players, [they needed to understand the standard] that needs to be set at the club.”





When asked if van Gaal was present as he addressed his teammates, Rooney replied: “No, I asked the manager could I do it without the any staff in the room.





“I felt it would have been easier for a few of the players to speak a little bit.”





Rooney finished the campaign as United's top scorer with 12 - in turn becoming the first Premier League player to hit double figures in 11 successive seasons.





As per Squawka, only United stars Juan Mata (50) - who scored twice in their 2-1 success at Anfield - and Angel Di Maria (51) created more chances than Rooney's 45 this season, as he helped to guide his team back into the Champions League following a year's exile.



