[ad_1]
Wayne Rooney is set to end his 18-year-old playing career if he is named permanent manager of Derby.
England’s record scorer will oversee Saturday’s home game against Wycombe after being promoted to lead the interim technical team that also includes Shay Given, Liam Rosenior and Justin Walker.
While Rooney, who expects Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan to complete his £ 60 million acquisition next week, stopped short of announcing his retirement as a player, he made it clear that he did not believe he could play both roles at the same time.
That means if Rooney wins the race to be the new boss, which is far from certain, he will end his days as a player.
“That possibility (of ending his playing days) is there, of course,” Rooney said. ‘Like I said, I want to do this job and I want to go into management.
“If I run the team long term, I don’t think it’s possible to manage and play.
“If I am not managing the team, I will continue to play, but if they ask me to manage the team full time, it will be the end of my playing days.
“It’s not the answer you want to hear, but as I keep saying, the focus is on Saturday.
‘The new owners are not here yet [but they are] There are days to go, so I have to focus on the team. I am sure that in the near future I will be able to better answer these questions.
‘Management is what I want to do and what I see myself doing. On Saturday it is the right decision to give my full attention to the team management and not lose focus on that by participating in the game. We are all doing what we can to help Derby get out of this mess. ‘
Former England coach Steve McClaren rejoined the Derby, who fired Phillip Cocu two weeks ago as technical director earlier in the week, while Rooney offered his backing to Given, Rosenior and Walker.
Derby is last in the championship after scoring just six points from its first 13 games and needs an instant recovery from its luck.
With Rooney in charge of joint caretaker for the last two games, they suffered losses at Bristol City and Middlesbrough.
Rooney added: ‘We discussed it and we felt that I needed one voice instead of four voices and we decided that I was the best man to do that, so I will be responsible for choosing the team. We have to look at it as if our season is starting now.
‘My message to the players will be to enjoy it. We all started playing soccer because we enjoyed it. We need to remember that. ‘
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
