LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney on Wednesday hailed the club's "exciting" appointment of new manager Jose Mourinho.

Former Chelsea manager Mourinho, 53, was appointed on a three-year contract last week and succeeds the sacked Louis van Gaal.

"It's exciting. He's one of the best managers in the world," Rooney told a press conference in Watford ahead of England's friendly against Portugal on Thursday.

"Obviously he knows the Premier League really well. For myself and the Manchester United players, it's exciting times. I'm looking forward to it."