Pranav Nair
Wayne Rooney thanks three former Manchester United managers who helped him settle in at Derby County
It is no secret that Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney wanted to pursue a career in management once his playing days were over.
The 35-year-old started the 2020/21 campaign as a player at Derby County but was forced to step up and take the reins as manager midway through the season.
Derby only had six points from their first 13 games in the Championship when Rooney was tasked to replace Phillip Cocu. An improvement in fortunes followed and the Rams saved themselves from the drop on the final day.
While it is no mean feat to succeed after being thrust in at the deep end, Rooney had an eminent list of managers to seek advice from. The United ace worked under some of the finest minds during his time at Old Trafford. It is fair to say he put those contacts to good use.
According to The Times (h/t The Derby Telegraph), the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and Jose Mourinho all chipped in with advice for the new Rams boss.
“Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes and José Mourinho were good enough to call with advice and captaining both Manchester United and England helped me understand the media side, how to project the right messages.”
Thriving under pressure
Having captained United too prepared Rooney for his trial by fire. He is no stranger to performing under pressure and was able to adapt to his new position.
Rooney made the news when he made a bold statement that Derby will beat the drop come the end of the season. He now admits that it was a ploy to take the pressure off his players and onto himself.
“Rather than just me saying in the meeting room that I had confidence in them, they would see me putting myself on the line for them.”
While he still has a long way to go, he appears to have picked up a number of tips and tricks in his long and storied career.
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Perhaps curiously, Rooney admits that beating the drop with Derby counts as his greatest achievement. An interesting statement given his success as a player.
Overall, it must be said that Rooney’s record in the front office is not very flattering. However, it is still early days and he has a long way to go.
