Rooney targets permanent role as Derby manager

Derby County’s Wayne Rooney says he hopes to follow in the footsteps of former England teammate Frank Lampard and take charge of the Championship club on a permanent basis.

Rooney is part of a four-man coaching team that will lead Derby for Saturday’s league game at Bristol City after the Midlands club parted ways with Phillip Cocu last week.

Lampard was appointed Derby coach in the summer of 2018 and guided them to the Championship playoffs before taking the reins at Chelsea.

“I wouldn’t be an ambitious person if I sat here and said I didn’t want the job,” Rooney, 35, told reporters. “We all come into this game to play football and then you have a decision to make: do you want to go into coaching or management?

“I’ve made it quite clear over the last few years that my ambition is to go into management, especially when you see the likes of Steven Gerrard, Lampard and Scott Parker all getting good jobs and doing really well at it.

“We have to get the next two or three games out the way first, but if they go well it puts me in a better position to put our names forward for that role.”

🐏👨‍💼 Wayne Rooney has confirmed his desire to take the Derby manager’s job full-time but says his focus, for now, is on working alongside his interim coaching partners.

— Sky Sports (@SkySports) November 19, 2020

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Rooney, who has served as player-coach at Derby since arriving in January, said he is not far away from calling time on his playing career.

“I’m not in the twilight of my career any more. I’ve got my toes in both dressing rooms, one as a player and one trying to help lead the team. We’ll see where this takes us,” the former Manchester United and England striker said.