"He deserves this for his performances over the years and his loyalty and leadership.
"At least there was some good news when Gary got the job, I was so pleased for him.
"For me, apart from maybe Ryan Giggs, he was the only choice. Even when Roy was at the club, Gary was always one of the main organisers. He is one of the most respected men in that dressing room.
"I was desperate for him to get it and when he rang me to tell me, I was delighted. Gary's dream was always to play for United so to captain them is the icing on the cake.
"Sometimes, when you get somebody like Gary, who is a 110% team player, there might be a temptation to think 'Gary will be committed and organised whether we give him the captaincy or not, so we'll give it to someone else to get the best out of their game'."