Wayne Rooney insists he is at Derby 'for the long term' and holds 'hope' he can steer them to Premier League promotion despite troubled club walking away from takeover talks
* Derby scrapped takeover talks with the Bin Zayed Group after agreeing a sale
* With the deal still not complete months on, the Championship club walked away
* Wayne Rooney is adamant the collapsed talks will not affect his long-term future
* The Derby boss insisted he is not at the club to 'mess around' and has high aims
Wayne Rooney insists he is at Derby for the long haul after the troubled Championship club scrapped takeover talks this week.
Last November chairman Mel Morris agreed to sell the Rams to Bin Zayed Group for £60million but with the deal still not complete four months later, Derby decided to walk away.
Rooney, who has steered Derby out of the bottom three since replacing Phillip Cocu last November, would not be drawn on the Rams’ financial position but assured fans it would not affect his future, after he agreed a two-and-a-half year contract in January after a successful spell as interim boss.
Wayne Rooney insisted he is at Derby for the long haul after the club scrapped takeover talks
‘I am here for the long term,’ said England’s record goalscorer. ‘I am not here to mess around or because an ownership deal does or doesn’t go through. In my time here I hope we can get the club to the Premier League.
‘I take the job very seriously and I’m grateful for Derby putting their trust in me. I am confident my way of managing will help the club so I am here to manage the club for a long time.
‘It wasn’t a short-term fix or dependent on a takeover. I signed a two-and-a-half-year deal and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing.’
Boss Rooney is focused on keeping Derby up despite the club's uncertain financial situation. Mel Morris had agreed to sell the club to Bin Zayed group but walked away four months later
Rooney revealed he had held talks with the club hierarchy since takeover talks collapsed. Derby are now in discussions with at least one other party.
The former Manchester United star added: ‘It is important for me to know these things but questions about the takeover are for Mel Morris directly.
‘I’m aware of exactly what the situation is with the club but these are questions which I’m sure, at the right time, Mr Morris will keep you fully informed on.’
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