United will take momentum into new season - Rooney

Wayne Rooney expects Manchester United to hit the ground running next season, having finally adapted fully to Louis van Gaal's coaching style.

United won just one of Van Gaal's first six games in charge last term, including an embarrassing 4-0 League Cup defeat to MK Dons and a whirlwind 5-3 reverse at Leicester City.

However, with 12 months of working under Van Gaal under their belts, as well as new arrivals in the shape of Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian, Rooney is expecting better this time around, starting with United's season-opener against Tottenham in two weeks' time.

"At the beginning of last season the manager told us it would take a while to adapt to the changes," he said.

"As a group of players you don't think it will but towards the end of the season, from Christmas, I felt we played some great football, understood exactly what the manager wanted from us and particularly in the big games we did really well.

"We can take that as positives.

"It was the games we expected to win where we disappointed ourselves.

"We know what is expected of us and what we have to do and are positive and excited for the season."

Rooney is set to play the coming season as United's focal point in attack after the departures of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao – a role the skipper is confident of thriving in.

"Obviously I'm working on getting fit and ready for the start of the season. I've never really been one to set personal targets, just to do well for the team.

"It [striker] is a position where I think I can score goals. Hopefully I can do that. I'm ready to take that mantle on and be the one who gets the goals for us."