A Way back: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho offers hope to dropped Wayne Rooney

The England captain was left on the substitutes’ bench at Old Trafford until the closing stages as the home side beat Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1 on Saturday

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Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (centre) was introduced by Jose Mourinho in the closing stages. Photo: EPA

Published: 1:18pm, 25 Sep 2016Updated: 9:29pm, 25 Sep 2016

Jose Mourinho says Wayne Rooney remains a key figure at Manchester United despite dropping his captain for the 4-1 thrashing of Premier League champions Leicester City on Saturday.

Mourinho left United and England captain Rooney on the substitutes’ bench at Old Trafford and was rewarded with a ruthless display against the Premier League champions.

But the United manager insisted Rooney remains his leader and chose to focus on the performances of Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard instead of the omission of the striker following a poor spell of form.

“My captain is my captain,” said Mourinho. “If he is on the pitch or if he is at home, he is my captain.

Wayne Rooney watched most of the action from the bench. Photo: Reuters

“That’s not a problem, but we thought against a team like Leicester with the way they defend and the profile of their defenders that the best solution for us was to play with the two fast kids and with [Juan] Mata in a position where he can interact with the young kids.