Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has revealed that he has relished working with Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman was appointed as David Moyes's successor last year following United's disappointing campaign under the Scot.
However, the Red Devils struggled to find their form early in the season as they claimed just 13 points from their opening 10 Premier League matches.
United rallied in the second half of the campaign to finish in fourth position and secure a place in the Champions League next season, which Rooney has credited to the management skills of Van Gaal.
He told the club's official website: "It was exciting really, to have the chance to work under him. The record he has got shows that he is a top manager and since he's come in he's been fantastic.
"He had faith in me and made me captain. Seeing the way he works and his different style of management, it's clear why he's been successful. The manager came in with new ideas, a new way to play, new training methods and we did find that difficult at first.
"The manager told us before we started that we were going to find it difficult and there were also a lot of new players who came in during the summer and it can be difficult for them to bed into a new league and a new team."
Rooney scored 12 goals for United in the Premier League last season.
Simon Sinclair
