Wayne Rooney currently has only one mini-roster available at Derby County. The English top scorer sounds the alarm.
Former England striker Wayne Rooney is in his role as coach of the second division Derby County in front of a heap of personnel. Two weeks before the championship season starts, the 35-year-old says he has only nine registered players, including two goalkeepers.
“If we don’t get any players in the next two weeks, I don’t know how to set up a team for the start of the season. (…) I don’t have a single central defender under contract, there are two very young players in the U23 and U18 would be impossible for me to bring a team to the field, “said Rooney at Sky Sports News.
Matchmaking for Derby County severely restricted
The reason for Derby’s personal dilemma lies in the club’s financial situation. The English Football League, EFL for short, which is responsible for the second to fourth league in England, imposed a transfer ban on the Rams because the club failed to submit its financial report from previous years.
Due to the special circumstances resulting from the corona pandemic, the club is now permitted to sign new players – but only players without a contract for one year or loan players for a maximum of six months.
Despite this difficult situation for him, Rooney does not want to resign. “If I’m honest, it would be easy for a coach in my situation to leave. It’s a challenge for me, I’m a fighter. I’m grateful to Derby for giving me this chance and I’ll do anything what I can to get the club through, “said the record scorer for the Three Lions and Manchester United.
Rooney has been the club’s head coach since January, having previously served as player-coach. His contract runs until 2023.
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