Steven McClaren has claimed that it’s ‘unthinkable’ that Wayne Rooney could leave Derby County for Everton, as he told the Football Show on Sky Sports (19/01/22 at 10:40 am).
The ex-England boss shared that the boyhood Everton fan is a ‘damn good manager’, as he is showcasing at financially-stricken, Derby.
Things are so bad at Derby that Sky reporter Rob Dorsett has tweeted on Thursday that the money at the club is ‘expected to run out next month’.
If the club’s running costs aren’t able to be met by those in charge, then ‘liquidation would be the only option’.
That’s a sorry state of affairs for one of England’s richest and well-known clubs.
It will be interesting to see what Rooney’s take on all of this is because he doesn’t seem the type of character to leave the club given what they are going through.
But, according to the Telegraph, both Rooney and Frank Lampard, another ex-Rams boss, were set for interviews with Everton.
For someone like McClaren, who is on Derby’s board, it would be a massive blow to lose Rooney given that he is the ‘leader’ of the group.
“Look, he is doing an unbelievable job at Derby,” said McClaren. “What he went through last week, towards the end of the week.
“I was talking to him on Thursday. We were talking about signings. And Jagielka coming on board, maybe for another six months. Maybe 18 months. Planning for the future.
“Then, Friday, everything changes and Graeme Shinnie goes, Jagielka goes and he has a game on Saturday. How he won that game on Saturday, just epitomises what he has been doing for the last six, seven and eight months.
“He is a damn good manager. A damn good man-manager. He has got great respect and great knowledge – to lose Wayne Rooney, it’s unthinkable for any Derby County fan, any player and member of staff because he is the leader at Derby.”
There’s no doubt that Rooney would want to be Everton boss given that he is a local lad and it is his club.
The only question is that would he take the job at this current moment? That all will probably depend on what happens at Derby.
If those in the Everton boardroom are keen on bringing Rooney to the club, then it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait until the end of the season.
By then, a lot could change, and with Duncan Ferguson currently in temporary charge, there are some who want the Scotsman to be given the role on a full-time basis.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
