3/1 To Win
Former Derby County defender Shaun Barker believes Wayne Rooney has handled a challenging start to management in a measured and assured way.
Rooney was appointed as Derby’s manager on a permanent basis in January of this year after a spell in temporary charge.
The former England and Manchester United star announced his retirement from playing at the same time to begin a new chapter in his life.
Rooney inherited a Derby side at the foot of the Sky Bet Championship table and with only one win all season in the winter.
The 35-year-old managed to guide the Rams out of the bottom three with a steady run of form during December, January and February.
The latter months of the season saw results become harder to come by, and injuries hit the side hard, but a 3-3 draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the season earlier this month was enough to ensure Derby avoided relegation.
Barker, who had a six-year spell with Derby after joining from Blackpool in the summer of 2009 and made over 100 appearances, has been a regular face on RamsTV during the 2020/21 campaign to offer expert analysis and opinion.
The popular former centre-back had admitted that he has been impressed with the way Rooney has managed the difficult transition of going from a player to a manager.
“I will be honest, I was one of those that questioned Wayne coming in at the stage of the season where the club had the lack of resources in terms of the players he could bring in,” Barker said on The Derby County Show.
“I thought it might be too much and I quite quickly changed my mind after the first month or two, when I saw what he was trying to get out of the players.
“He was quite strategic in how he worked with the players and he put them under a bit of pressure.
“In those little moments, I thought Wayne showed his confidence and his strength in himself from that transition from being a player to a manager. I liked that from the start.
“After that run of form in terms of things going well, it was the real test when results went against the team and, understandably, I think he found that hard, along with the coaching staff and players also.
“We have had inconsistencies from the start of the season, and I think he has dealt with them really, really well.
“When I say that, I mean how he has been with the players, how he has interacted with them, how he has pushed them and how he kept a level head throughout, which goes to show the confidence he has got.”
Barker says it is clear that Rooney is determined to drive Derby forward after ensuring the club retained their second-tier status.
Rooney has spoken about his desire to begin to build his own squad over the course of the next few months and Barker is intrigued to see how the Derby boss handles the next step.
“I believe that with the squad he wants, the type of players that he wants, the consistency within the club that he wants, it is quite clear how he wants to move the club forward,” Barker said.
“I can only see things getting better. Understandably the players respect Wayne because of his career and what he achieved, but also how he has conducted himself both on and off the pitch.
“To keep the club in the division was the job this year and he has completed that. Now the next step is how he progresses with this club and with the group of players he is going to bring in.”
