Wayne Rooney retired from football after being appointed permanent manager of Derby County with a two and a half year contract.
Rooney, the former England and Manchester United striker, has been in charge of the EFL Championship club since Phillip Cocu left in November.
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“When I returned to the UK, I was completely impressed with the potential of Derby County Football Club,” said Rooney in a statement. โThe stadium, the training ground, the quality of the technical staff and the young players who are arriving and, of course, the fans who remained loyal and supportive.
“Despite other offers, I knew instinctively that Derby County was the place for me. Having the opportunity to follow names like Brian Clough, Jim Smith, Frank Lampard and Phillip Cocu is an honor and I can promise everyone involved in the club and everyone our fans, my team and I will leave no stone unturned to reach the potential that I have witnessed in the past 12 months of this historic football club. “
Chief Executive Stephen Pearce added: “We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Wayne Rooney as our new manager.
“Our recent improvement in results under Wayne was associated with some positive performances, notably the 2-0 home win over Swansea City and the 4-0 win over Birmingham City.
“During the sequence of nine games, we also drastically improved their defensive record and recorded five games without conceding goals, while in the third attack we became more effective and relentless as well.
“These foundations provided a platform for the club to develop in the second half of the season under Wayne’s guidance.”
Since taking up his temporary role, Rooney, who has been a player-coach since arriving in January 2020, has coached alongside coaches Shay Dado, Liam Rosenior and Justin Walker.
Rooney, who played for DC United in the MLS between 2018 and 2020, said in November that he would retire from professional football if he were hired by Derby full time.
The 35-year-old saw an improvement in form that saw them lose only once in eight games. However, they have lost three of their last four matches, including an elimination in the third round of the FA Cup against Chorley, outside the league, which was overshadowed by an outbreak of coronavirus.
Rooney started his career in Everton’s childhood and became the Premier League’s youngest scorer at age 16, with an impressive final victory against Arsenal in October 2002.
A captain.
A gunner.
A legend.And now, ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Happy retirement, @WayneRooney – thanks for the memories โค๏ธ pic.twitter.com/ZGxe1xr3tR
– Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 15, 2021
In 2004, he joined United for ยฃ 27 million to become the most expensive teenager in the world. He stayed at the club for 13 years and during that time he won five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the League Cup four times, the Europa League, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup.
In 2017, he became the club’s greatest scorer of all time with his 250th in the 1-1 draw with Stoke and left at the end of the season with a total of 253 to return to Everton.
He left after 18 months in Goodison Park to join DC United, where he stayed for two seasons before moving to Derby in 2019.
Rooney retired from international football with England in 2018 as the country’s top scorer, with 53 in 120 games. He played in three World Cups.