Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was delighted with Wayne Rooney's performance for victory in the Champions Cup final against Liverpool. After a quiet first half at the Sun Life Stadium, Rooney sparked United's comeback with a neat left-volley, his fifth goal of the tour, and was later named player of the tournament.
"He's always a winner," van Gaal said. "I think he deserved to win the award because he made a lot of assists and scored goals. But we also defended well - there are a lot of defenders who could also have been the most valuable player of this tournament.
"For Rooney, the goal was very important. It was a wonderful goal. You see the attack and what he did to push the ball under the legs of the goalkeeper and also in the corner. It was also a great cross from Chicharito."
Rooney was captain for the night but van Gaal, who has also given the armband to Tom Cleverley and Darren Fletcher on the tour, played down its significance.
"I'm always looking for opportunities to give players the captain's armband," he said. "Today, Rooney played 90 minutes for the first time. Fletcher has already done it twice and therefore he was the captain. Cleverley also played 90 minutes."
