Wayne Rooney gave Manchester United players dressing room 'rallying cry' ahead of Manchester City win

Rooney brought in by Louis van Gaal for pre-match speech

(Getty Images)

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney was brought into the away dressing room to deliver a speech to his team-mates ahead of the Manchester derby, according to reports.

The 30-year-old has missed the last month of action because of a knee injury but United boss Louis van Gaal decided to draft in Rooney to deliver a speech to his team-mates at the Etihad Stadium, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The players responded with an excellent performance, beating rivals Manchester City 1-0.

According to the report, Van Gaal does not usually allow players who aren't part of the matchday squad to enter the dressing room until after full time.

The victory left United just a point below City, who currently sit in the final Champions League place in fourth - United had entered the game having failed to win any of their four previous matches and just four of their previous 10 in the Premier League.

Rooney, who is not in the England squad this week but is close to a return at club level, gave a similar speech to team-mates last season.

The Liverpool-born striker, said Van Gaal, gave an "important speech" to the players ahead of the side's 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the middle of a six-match winning streak.