Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea believes the new season could be a ‘great season’ for the Reds under new manager Jose Mourinho and captain Wayne Rooney.

The 25-year-old was named in the starting line-up for Wayne Rooney’s testimonial match against Everton and played for over an hour, as team-mates and fans alike paid tribute to a 12-season career at the club, reports the Manchester United website.

De Gea has hailed his club teammate and put emphasis on the striker’s importance to the team.

‘We feel really happy for him,’ De Gea said.

‘Wayne is our captain, he has played at this club for many years and he is a legend. The fans, the players, everyone – we all feel happy to be with him.

‘He’s the captain and he has a strong character. Everyone knows he’s a goalscorer and a top player – we feel really well with him [on our side]. He scores a lot of goals in training sessions! As I said, he’s a strong character and a strong player. It’s really good to have Wazza in the team.’

The Spanish shot-stopper is confident that United will do well during the 2016-17 season under the guidance of new manager Jose Mourinho and captain Wayne Rooney.

‘We feel that [it could be a special campaign]. We feel really strong with the new manager and new players, they’re really top players and I think this is going to be a great season,’ he added.

‘Of course, it’s good to be fit as soon as possible because on Sunday we have an important game against Leicester. They’ll be tough opponents for sure, they have a strong team and we know how they play. They play really well, we’ll need to be fit and play really good football to beat them.’

Manchester United take on Leicester City for the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Kick-off has been set for 16:45.