Derby County owner puts Rooney's fate in the hands of Coco

Chelsea forward Wayne Rooney was close to joining the team, said Mel Morris County owner Mel Morris.

"Two days ago, there are already talks," Morris said, starting from Rooney's desire to return to England.

Sources close to Rooney said two days ago that Manchester United's top scorer wanted to return to England for a variety of reasons, including his family and his desire to start his career as a manager in England.

"We have examined this fact," he said.

"The opinion of Philip Coco is at the heart of the negotiations, but we will say nothing before solving the problem," said Malik Derby.

"We want a player with Rooney's track record and great career, who has demonstrated his leadership abilities in America.

According to British reports, Rooney will work in Derby as a coach and player, contrary to remarks made by the owner of the Derby and by Dutch coach Philippe Coco.

Coco declined to talk about signing Rooney, stating that he hoped to fill the lack of names of the team before the end of the Mercato without mentioning Rooney's name.

Coco recently took over from Frank Lampard, who led the team to a playoff game to qualify for the Premier League, then left for Chelsea.