Rio Ferdinand believes Wayne Rooney will be spurred on to reach greater heights by being made Manchester United captain.
Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal gave Rooney, 28, the United armband in August after former skipper Nemanja Vidic left Old Trafford in the summer for Inter Milan.
And Ferdinand, who led United in the 2008 Champions League final, drew on his own experience of captaining the club to argue that it will motivate the former Everton man to achieve even more.
"Wayne's record demanded that he wears the Manchester United armband. He deserves it," he told Manchester Evening News.
Ferdinand was a teammate of Rooney's at Old Trafford for a decade before his summer move to Queens Park Rangers.
Rooney, who has also been appointed England captain, is closing in on Sir Bobby Charlton's scoring records for both club and country, needing 31 more United goals and seven more in international football to pass the World Cup winner.
"Wayne has things to reach for still and the captaincy is another responsibility that will help him to get to those landmarks quicker," Ferdinand added.
"I think he needed it now. I have known what it is like to be at a club for a long time like Wayne and you need those little extras, that extra lift or kick on to push on again. I think it was something he was going to need over the coming years.
"It is such a responsibility being captain at a club as big as United and for your country. I know what it is like. I know what it adds to you as a person when you have that job and when you walk out onto the pitch with that responsibility.
"It brought the best out in me when I was playing, I felt. I enjoyed it. It gave you a real sense of responsibility and I liked that. I embraced it. It will only enhance what Wayne is doing. I think he will embrace it too and it will bring out the best in him over time.
"When you walk out and you see Man United fans singing your name and for the club and you are leading that it is something else. Same with England. It is such a massive boost for you. You rise to the challenge it presents.
"Wayne needs that now. When you have been somewhere for about 10 years like Wayne has been at Old Trafford and have played nearly 100 times for England, sometimes you need that something else to stimulate you. You don't need it to go out and play football because it is a beautiful thing anyway but you sometimes need it to go onto that next level.
"He has been successful and won so many things but he still has things to hit and landmarks to reach. I think being given the captaincy for club and country will give him that extra push to get there."