After officially announcing his retirement from playing, Wayne Rooney has taken the Derby County manager’s job on full-time.
The former Everton and Man United star had been in temporary charge before being officially appointed, and his main duty this season will be to keep an under performing Rams side in the Championship.
It wasn’t too long ago that Derby were adrift near the foot of the table, but Rooney has evidently instilled some discipline in the squad and seen an immediate upturn in results.
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Having played under Sir Alex Ferguson for years, the Scot is well placed to discuss whether Rooney has it within him to be a success at the job.
“Wayne becoming a manager, he’s England’s top goal scorer, he’s Manchester United’s top goal scorer, he had a fantastic career as a player, so that will give him a starting point,” he’s quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror.
“[…] He’s had a good start, he’s won two games, he’s got a good knowledge of the game, he’s got a presence about him. I hope he does well because it’s a big step for him.
“He’s a wealthy young man now, so he doesn’t need to go into management to look after the family or anything like that, he’s in a good position financially, but he wants to do it.”
As such a high-profile name, the pressure will be on Rooney to deliver almost immediately.
However, if he’s able to stabilise results and keep Derby up, the club can move forward from that position, hopefully with significant funding if a reported takeover goes through.