Wayne Rooney has retired from football after being appointed permanent manager of Derby County on a two-and-a-half year contract.
Rooney, the former England and Manchester United forward, has been under the auspices of the EFL Championship club since the departure of Phillip Cocu in November.
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“When I first returned to the UK, I was completely blown away by the potential of Derby County Football Club,” Rooney said in a statement. ‘The stadium, training ground, the quality of the staff and the young players that came through and of course the fan base that remained loyal and supportive.
“Despite other offers, I knew instinctively that Derby County was the place for me. To have the opportunity to follow like Brian Clough, Jim Smith, Frank Lampard and Phillip Cocu is such an honor and I can all ‘Promise what’s involved with the club and all our fans, my staff and I will leave no stone unturned to reach the potential I have seen over the last twelve months of this historic football club.’
CEO Stephen Pearce added: “We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Wayne Rooney as our new manager.
“Our recent surge in the results under Wayne has been married to some positive performances, most notably the 2-0 home win over Swansea City and the 4-0 win over Birmingham City.
‘During the nine-game we also dramatically improved their defensive record and in the process registered five clean sheets, while in the attacking third we also became more effective and ruthless.
“Those foundations provided a platform on which the club could build in the second half of the season under Wayne’s leadership.”
Since being temporarily hired, Rooney, who has been a player coach since his arrival in January 2020, has coached Shay Given, Liam Rosenior and Justin Walker.
Rooney, who played for DC United in MLS between 2018 and 2020, said in November that he would retire from professional football if he got the Derby job full-time.
The 35-year-old oversaw an upswing in form that resulted in them losing just once in eight games. However, they have lost three of their last four matches, including a third round of the FA Cup against Chorley, which is not a league overshadowed by an outbreak of coronavirus.
Rooney started his career at Everton’s youth and at that age of 16 became the then youngest Premier League striker with a stunning win against Arsenal in October 2002.
A captain.
A goal scorer.
A legend.And now, š® šŗš®š»š®š“š²šæ.
Happy retirement, @WayneRooney – thanks for the memories ā¤ļø pic.twitter.com/ZGxe1xr3tR
– Manchester United (@ManUtd) 15 January 2021
In 2004, he joined United for Ā£ 27 million to become the most expensive teenager in the world. He stayed at the club for 13 years and during that time he has won five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, the League Cup four times, the Europa League, Champions League and FIFA World Club Cup.
In 2017, he became the club’s leading scorer of all time with his 250th in a 1-1 draw with Stoke and left at the end of the campaign with a total of 253 to rejoin Everton.
He leaves after 18 months at Goodison Park to join DC United, where he stays for two seasons before moving to Derby in 2019.
Rooney retired from international football with England in 2018 as the country’s record goal scorer with 53 in 120 matches. He has played in three World Cups.