John Terry is a frontrunner for the Derby County role but fellow former England captain Wayne Rooney would like to make his position as interim boss at Pride Park permanent; no decision is expected until the Championship club's takeover is complete
Thursday 3 December 2020 16:39, UK
Derby interim boss Wayne Rooney has reiterated his desire to take charge of the club full time, but conceded the possibility of an interview is unlikely until the new owners come in.
Rooney took temporary charge at Pride Park following the dismissal of Phillip Cocu in November, and Derby are now bottom of the Championship having lost two and drawn two under the 35-year-old's watch.
John Terry, a fellow former England captain and currently Aston Villa assistant coach, has emerged as a frontrunner for the Derby role once the club's takeover is complete.
Earlier this week Sky Sports News confirmed newspaper reports linking Terry to the Derby job, which the ex-Chelsea defender sees as an excellent first opportunity in management.
Rooney has previously admitted he would remain at the club as a player if another manager was brought in, and on Thursday he said any developments were unlikely until the takeover is complete.
"I'm no further on to knowing from where I was on Tuesday night," Rooney told reporters ahead of Derby's match at Millwall on Saturday.
On the prospect of being interviewed, Rooney added: "I think the first thing is getting the ownership over the line. I've stated on Tuesday and on Saturday, of course I want to do this job full time but we are where we are. We have to wait for all the paperwork to be sorted and then we see what happens from there."
Speaking after Derby's 1-1 draw at home to Coventry on Tuesday, Rooney said he hopes the new ownership is confirmed quickly in order to resolve the managerial vacancy.
He said: "I honestly don't know (if I'll be in charge), as I've said I'm confident in this job and this role and of course I would love to do the job. If not, I'll be here as a player but we've put plans in place and if they're not to be, at least the players have stability of knowing the plans for the next few weeks and can have something to work to.
"Hopefully the quicker the new ownership is done the better because I think a decision does need to be made.
"I've been asked to take the team until a decision is made and that's what I'm doing so the quicker the decision is made - not just for the players but for all the staff at the football club - the more stability we can get and more plans put in place for the future."
