Ferguson believes the 21-year-old will reap the benefits of his first football-free summer for four years.

"Wayne's incredible, a very strong character and he will be a big player next season, believe me," said Ferguson.

"He'll have a great season because this is the first time since he joined the club that he will have had a proper pre-season with us."

Rooney, currently on tour with United in Asia, has not played a competitive match since May's FA Cup final after serving a suspension for England's European Championship qualifier in Estonia last month.

Ferguson added: "The likes of Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are young lads who could play all day long, but the summer break will benefit everyone because they have been away for a long time.

"Wayne is the first to the training ground every morning. It's unbelievable, but he just loves football and training."

United's four-match Asia trip ends today with a game against against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in China.