London, July 22 (IANS): Manchester United head coach Jose Mourinho has assured Wayne Rooney of his future at the English Premier League club, insisting the club captain will remain an important figure in his squad.

Having already promised that Rooney will never play in midfield under him, Mourinho again faced questions about the England international's future at Old Trafford following the club's arrival in China for the International Champions Cup, much to the Portuguese coach's dismay.

"I am quite surprised with so many question marks around this guy. I know that at the national team level you have this capacity of trying to make things complicated for yourself, so what happened around him in the summer was not a surprise for me," Mourinho was quoted as saying by goal.com on Thursday.

"But in my club we are not going to have that. He is the club captain, he is the manager's captain, he is the players' captain. I trust him a lot. I think he's going to be a very important player for me and no problem for him."

However, Mourinho insisted that the armband does not guarantee Rooney a starting place alone.

"He knows that he has to work hard, he knows that but I think that is nothing new in his career. Everything he got I see nobody offer him, he had to fight for it. With me it is not going to be different. But, yes, he is my captain," the former Chelsea and Real Madrid coach added.