Wayne Rooney quits playing to take over from Derby County



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Wayne Rooney retired from football after being appointed permanent manager of Derby County on a two and a half year contract.

Rooney, the former England and Manchester United striker, had been in charge of the EFL Championship club since Phillip Cocu left in November.

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“When I first returned to the UK I was completely blown away by the potential of Derby County Football Club,” Rooney said in a statement. “The stadium, the training ground, the quality of the playing staff and the young players who pass and of course the fan base which has remained loyal and united.

“Despite other offers, I instinctively knew Derby County was the place for me. To have the opportunity to follow personalities like Brian Clough, Jim Smith, Frank Lampard and Phillip Cocu is such an honor and I can promise everyone the people involved in the club and all of our fans, my team and I will leave no stone unturned to realize the potential I have witnessed over the past 12 months of this historic football club. “

Managing Director Stephen Pearce added: “We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Wayne Rooney as the new Director.

“Our recent improvement in results under Wayne has been paired with some positive performances, including a 2-0 home win over Swansea City and a 4-0 victory at Birmingham City.

“In that nine-game streak we also significantly improved their defensive record and recorded five clean sheets in the process, while in the third striker we also became more efficient and ruthless.

“These foundations have provided a platform for the club to build on in the second half of the season under Wayne’s leadership.”

Since taking over on a temporary basis, Rooney, who had been a player-coach since joining in January 2020, has trained alongside coaches Shay Given, Liam Rosenior and Justin Walker.

Rooney, who played for DC United in MLS between 2018 and 2020, said in November he would retire from professional football if he got the full-time Derby job.

The 35-year-old oversaw a return to form that saw them lose just once in eight games. However, they have lost three of their last four matches, including an FA Cup third round outing to non-league Chorley who was overshadowed by a coronavirus outbreak.

Rooney started his career as a child of Everton and became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer at the age of 16 with a stunning late winner against Arsenal in October 2002.

In 2004 he joined United for £ 27million to become the most expensive teenager in the world. He remained at the club for 13 years and during that time he won five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, the League Cup four times, the Europa League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. FIFA.

In 2017, he became the club’s all-time top scorer with his 250th in a 1-1 draw with Stoke and left at the end of the campaign with a total of 253 to join Everton.

He left after 18 months at Goodison Park to join DC United, where he stayed for two seasons before moving to Derby in 2019.

Rooney retired from international football with England in 2018 as the country’s top scorer with 53 in 120 appearances. He has played three World Cups.



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