Former England and Manchester United forward, Wayne Rooney is likely to make his debut for Sky Bet Championship side Derby County when the Philip Cocu’s side welcome Barnsley at the Pride Park on Thursday for their first game of new decade.
Rooney was signed on as a player cum assistant coach by the Championship side after calling time on his career at Major League Soccer (MLS) side DC United.
He has been training with The Rams after officially leaving DC United at the end of November, and is determined to offer more on the field of play in what is the tail end on his playing career.
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As on Tuesday, Rooney’s debut game for Derby County was still subject to his international clearance before they face Barnsley, but Cocu looked forward to unleashing the experienced 34 year old on The Rams’ next opponents at Pride Park.
“It is not a bad moment for us to have Wayne available for selection at all,” Cocu said
“We are struggling a bit with the numbers, so to have him available would be a real boost for us all.”
Derby ended the last decade with a 2-1 win against Charlton Athletic which ensured that they stepped up to 17th position on 30 points in the 24 team Championship table after matchday-25.
Cocu is happy to have a veteran like Rooney to bolster his squad in the new year and new decade:
“Rooney has so much quality and experience, so I am glad he is here. He is fit and would be ready to go, but needs a few games to build his minutes up,” Cocu stated.
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