Northern Ireland defender Paddy McNair has said his new Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has been in touch to wish him well for Euro 2016.
Mourinho was appointed at United two weeks ago in succession to Louis van Gaal, who handed 21-year-old McNair his senior debut in September 2014.
"He sent me a text message wishing me good luck for the tournament -- that was nice of him,'' McNair said.
"I'm sure he'll be watching. I'll be trying my best, and hopefully he likes what he sees.''
Sir Alex Ferguson, who vacated his position at Old Trafford before McNair's senior debut, will be in Nice on Sunday to see how some of his former academy prospects fare as Northern Ireland take on Poland.
Roy Carroll, Jonny Evans, Corry Evans, Craig Cathcart, Luke McCullough, Oliver Norwood and McNair all represented United at various levels during Ferguson's long reign.
McNair could start at the Stade de Nice in either a right wing-back role or central midfield.
Club colleague Marcus Rashford is unlikely to be deployed from the off when England's campaign begins against Russia on Saturday, but McNair says the rise of his teammate has been remarkable.
"He's a very good player," he added. "He came in at the end of season and it was breathtaking, in a way, how well he adapted, the goals he scored.
"You see him in training, and he's got a lot of ability -- I think he will be a top player."
