JUST IN: Wayne Rooney set to secure Derby County reunion next season
Wayne Rooney could return to Pride Park next season, as Derby County fight hard under John Eustace to secure their Championship status having regained it only last Spring. Derby spent two years in League One but successfully lifted themselves out of the third tier under Paul Warne and their destiny ahead of the Easter weekend remains in their own hands.
Former Derby boss and player Rooney left the club following relegation in 2022, having attempted to keep them in the division against a backdrop of off-field issues. He has since also managed Midlands rivals Birmingham City, but that reign was short-lived and ill-fated.
Blues being in League One currently is partially the responsibility of Rooney, who endured a pretty miserable spell in Birmingham last season; he took over from Rams boss Eustace in October 2023 but was sacked by New Year’s Day, following a defeat at Leeds United which meant he’d won just two of his 15 games in charge.
Rooney was sacked by Plymouth Argyle earlier this season having taken over as Ian Foster’s long-term successor last summer. While the Pilgrims won four of their opening seven home games, their away form was non-existent and Rooney was sacked on New Year’s Eve after a run of six defeats in seven and with Argyle bottom of the league table.
While the Green Army alongside Derby are fighting hard to remain in the Championship, Rooney might be there too.
Radio station talkSPORT claim that Rooney is a contender for the Blackburn job if they decide to part with former West Bromwich Albion, Barnsley and Watford manager Valerien Ismael, who only replaced Eustace in February but who has only claimed five points from a possible 24 in the opening stages of his reign, a run which has derailed their promotion hopes.
Reports locally claim that Ismael’s job is safe for now despite an underwhelming beginning to his tenure, which finds Rovers having lost ground in the hunt for a Championship play-off place – their only win under the Frenchman came in their last outing at Luton Town, but they remain seven points off the top six as things stand.
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