Manchester United defender Phil Jones has praised the leadership qualities that Wayne Rooney has shown this season.

Following the summer departure of Nemanja Vidic, Rooney was handed the captaincy by new manager Louis van Gaal.

Speaking after the skipper had scored during United's 3-1 home win over Aston Villa yesterday afternoon, Jones admitted that the 29-year-old has set an example for his teammates.

"Wayne's a leader and everybody follows him. He leads by example and doesn't just say things for the sake of it, it really means something," he told MUTV.

"He made a comment before the game saying it's no good beating Liverpool if you can't beat Aston Villa at Old Trafford and he was bang on. Thankfully we've done that."

Rooney's goal was the 14th that he has scored in all competitions this term.