Wayne Rooney officially stops playing, gets Derby manager’s job permanently

Rooney retired from worldwide football with England in 2018 as the country's record goal scorer with 53 in 120 appearances.

However he has officially penned a two-and-a-half-year contract which will see him take charge of the club until the summer of 2023.

Rooney said: "When I came back to the UK I was completely blown away by the potential of Derby County Football Club".

"Despite other offers, I instinctively knew Derby County was the place for me".

Rooney's former England and United team-mate, Gary Neville, once infamously revealed that he was sat on the toilet after a game at West Brom when he realised his career was over.

He won a total of 16 major honours with the Red Devils including five Premier League titles, three League Cups, one FA Cup, one Champions League and one FIFA Club World Cup over a distinguished career.

Former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney ended his illustrious playing career on Friday to take up the job of managing Championship side Derby on a full-time basis.

"Our recent upturn in results under Wayne was married together with some positive performances, notably the 2-0 home win over Swansea City and the 4-0 victory at Birmingham City", Derby CEO Stephen Pearce said.

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For a holistic tactical analysis on how Rooney has attempted to transform Derby's playing style during his stint as interim manager, Go Deeper below.

Liam Rosenior, Shay Given and Justin Walker will remain part of his coaching staff but the news means Rooney will not step onto the pitch in a competitive game again.

Wayne Rooney scored 53 goals for England in 120 games.

"Those foundations have provided a platform for the club to build on in the second half of the season under Wayne's guidance", he noted.

In 2017, he became the first Manchester United player to score 250 goals for the club before returning to Everton for a brief spell.

Rooney came into the scene as a 16-year-old teenager and made his Premier League debut for Everton, scoring a last-minute victor against Arsenal.

Having started his career at Everton as a 16-year-old, he caught the eye with his quality and eventually moved to Manchester United in 2004 for a whopping fee of £25.6 million.