Wayne Rooney has retired from playing football in order to focus on managerial career.
The Man Utd and England’s record goalscorer has being appointed Derby County manager on a permanent basis.
Rooney has been acting as interim manager at Derby since the end of November, but has now taken the job permanently on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Rooney said: “When I first arrived back in the United Kingdom I was completely blown away by the potential of Derby County Football Club. The stadium, training ground, the quality of the playing staff and the young players coming through and of course the fan base that has remained loyal and supportive.
“Despite other offers, I knew instinctively Derby County was the place for me.
“To be given the opportunity to follow the likes of Brian Clough, Jim Smith, Frank Lampard and Phillip Cocu is such an honour and I can promise everyone involved in the club and all our fans, my staff and I will leave no stone unturned in achieving the potential I have witnessed over the last 12 months of this historic football club.”
To mark Wayne Rooney’s retirement from playing we take a look back at his record-breaking career at Manchester United
Rooney scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for Manchester United and won five Premier League titles, along with one Champions League and one Europa League crown during his time at Old Trafford.
He scored 53 goals in 120 appearances for his country.
Rooney began his career at Everton and rejoined the club from United in 2017 before a brief spell in the MLS with DC United from where he joined Derby last year.
The decision to appoint Rooney has been made jointly by Derby’s current owner, Mel Morris, and the prospective owner Sheikh Khaled.
Liam Rosenior, Shay Given, and Justin Walker will retain their positions on Rooney’s coaching staff. while Steve McClaren will continue the duties of technical director and advisor to the board of directors.
Rooney’s first game as permanent manager will be on Saturday at home to Rotherham at Pride Park.
It has been a time of turmoil for Derby, with the senior first-team players still waiting for their December wages to be paid.
Regarding his retirement, Rooney said: “Normally this happens at the end of a season and normally as a player you’d have time to reflect on it, but for me it has obviously happened during the season.
“I think the last couple of months have helped break that in and, for me, it has given me time to sit down and think about that.
“As I said a few weeks ago, my future I feel is in management. I’ve had a great career, I’ve enjoyed every minute.
“Some ups, some downs but I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done in my career as a player and hopefully now I can start to write some history and make a successful managerial career.
“It’s natural [to miss things about being a player].
“I’m very fortunate that I’m staying around football and I’m still going into the dressing room, not with the players but with the staff and it’s a different buzz.
“It’s a different buzz when you stand on the touchline and you win a game or when you put a plan in place that the players execute. It’s a new chapter for me.
“If you will ask whether I will miss playing then of course, every player misses it, but time doesn’t stop.
“I’ve had my time, it’s the time now of this younger generation coming through, and it’s about guiding them to be better players.
