He’s used to fighting his battles in the upper echelons of Premier League and European football, but Wayne Rooney has got something different on his plate at Derby County.
The former Everton and Manchester United striker has two games to ensure the Rams’ Championship survival, starting with a tough away game at high-flying Swansea City on Saturday before an end-of-season epic against fellow strugglers, Sheffield Wednesday.
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As if he’s not already got enough to deal with on the pitch, behind the scenes, Spanish businessman, Erik Alonso, is preparing to buy the club from current owner, Mel Morris.
However, Rooney doesn’t appear to be fazed by it.
“I know everything,” he was quoted as saying by The Sun.
“I haven’t once spoken to the players about the takeover, the focus is very much on the football.
“The players are getting paid for doing their jobs. There was no worry that the players weren’t going to get paid. We can’t focus on that — it’s not an issue.”
There has to be a worry of course that Alonso will continue with the purchase of the Pride Park based outfit if they’re relegated to League One.
Albeit he may have some bargaining power in terms of the price should the worst happen.