When Rafael Benítez was sacked by Everton, it was obvious that Wayne Rooney’s name was going to be thrown around left, right and centre. After all, the 36-year-old has an emotional connection with the club, coming through their youth academy before returning to Goodison Park for a 12-month stint later in his career. Taking the manager’s seat in the dugout seems inevitable now Rooney has gone down the coaching route.
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However, is now really the right time for England’s all-time top scorer to step up and take a role with so much at stake midway through a season? The Toffees have been substantially weakened over the course of the last couple of transfer windows, losing key players like James Rodríguez and Lucas Digne, and sit 16th in the Premier League table, just six points clear of the dreaded relegation zone.
It would certainly be a risk to take on such a task at this early point of his managerial career, but it is one that could reap dividends for Rooney. In many ways, Steven Gerrard took a similar leap recently as he swapped Rangers for relegation-threatened Aston Villa.
However, it is so far so good for the former Liverpool captain in the midlands, steering Villa clear of the drop zone and perhaps enhancing his chances of landing that dream job at Anfield in the future. The same could work in Rooney’s favour if he has aspirations of taking the reins at Manchester United one day.
But Rooney is already making a name for himself at Derby County, defying all the English Football League Championship betting markets on a regular basis as he edges ever closer to doing what seemed like an impossible task earlier this season — saving the Rams from dropping down to the third tier of the English football pyramid.
With barely any players on their books in the summer, Rooney has built his current squad with free agents and academy players and they have fought in the face of adversity all season. A further nine-point deduction in November took their total tally for the season to 21, and left Derby finally looking down and out.
However, as they have done so many times, they picked themselves up off the canvas and fought back. Rooney wasn’t ready to accept relegation when the EFL took more points off them a couple of months ago and he’s starting to perhaps prove to the footballing world that Derby still have hope of staying up despite all the Championship betting tips stacked against them.
This group of outcasts and youngsters have amazingly become one of the in-form sides in the second division over the last month or so, winning four and drawing one of their last five games. It was the 2-0 victory over 11th-place Sheffield United last weekend that lifted them off the foot of the table, climbing above Barnsley, and they will have Peterborough United firmly in their sights.
Eight points. Somehow, that all is all that now separates the Rams from Reading and safety. It is certainly doable; this Derby side are far better than the teams around them. In fact, had they not been deducted points, they would be mid-table and just seven points adrift from the play-off positions!
While the Rams are riding the crest of a wave on the pitch, they are by no means out of the woods. Phil Jagielka’s contract was recently cancelled, leaving Rooney furious, and more key players could fellow him out the door at Pride Park this month, with Derby not exactly in the position to hold onto them.
Rooney claimed that keeping the Midlands outfit up would be his ‘greatest achievement in football’, which on the grand scheme of things is a great deal. We doubt he is ready to give up on them now after all they have been through. At this stage, keeping Derby up will be just as good for his career in the long run than anything else.
