Derby County

Former Everton and Manchester United star and current Derby County manager Wayne Rooney said he would isolate during his playing career and drink to cope with the stress that accompanied his playing career. 

Rooney opened up during an interview with Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday:

In my early years at Manchester United, probably until we had my first son, Kai, I locked myself away really. I never went out. There were times you'd get a couple of days off from football and I would actually lock myself away and just drink, to try to take all that away from my mind. People might know that I liked a drink at times or went out but there was a lot more to it than just that. It was what was going on in my head.

Now, people would be more empowered to speak about that kind of thing. Back then, in my head and with other players, there was no way I could go into the United dressing room and start saying, 'This is how I am feeling,' because you just wouldn't do it. Then you would end up suffering internally rather than letting your thoughts out. Locking myself away made me forget some of the issues I was dealing with. It was like a binge.

Rooney, 36, was one of the best players of his generation. His 253 total goals for United represent a club record. He also was a regular fixture for England, scoring a record 53 goals in 120 appearances. No outfield player has featured more for the men's national team, and he was just five games shy of Peter Shilton's overall record.

But that success came with a lot of attention and criticism, a side of the game the young Rooney wasn't ready for when he made his professional debut at just 16. 

"It took a long time for me to get used to that and figure out how to deal with it. It was like being thrown in somewhere where you are just not comfortable. That was tough for me," he said. "I had made a lot of mistakes when I was younger, some in the press and some not in the press, whether that's fighting or whatever. For me to deal with that, deal with stuff that was in the newspapers, deal with the manager at the time, deal with family at the time, was very difficult."

Rooney said that the anger he felt gave him an edge on the field, granting him a level of aggressiveness and unpredictability that aided his play. But it also led to mistakes off the pitch, at least until he learned that he needed to talk to someone.

"A bad moment? It could be anything. That you weren't playing well, the pressure you put on yourself, which I always tried to hide. Sometimes I tried to hide it with over-confidence. Sometimes that's to mask the pressure you feel," he said. "It could have been when I had done something wrong off the field and pressure builds and even going into the local shops, you want to hide from everyone. It is embarrassing. I was embarrassed by it."

That led to Rooney isolating and comforting himself by drinking. He says he has a much better relationship with alcohol and has used his experiences as a player to help him be a better manager for his players at Derby County.

"Part of the problem I have is that I do trust people," he said. "That was exactly my first message to the players here at Derby: 'I will give you my trust, but I need it back.' Once that trust is broken, it is very difficult to recover. Yeah, people want stuff off you, but I take responsibility for that because some of the stuff I have done is my decisions and that's me leaving myself open."

Wayne Rooney believes he still has what it takes to play in the Premier League and hopes to take Derby County up to the highest level of English football in the near future.

Per Sky Sports, the former England international told reporters all he needs is the right players around him:

"I still felt I could do it when I was at Everton, but other people made their decisions on that. Now my ambition is to get Derby back in the Premier League and hopefully play my part there for them.

"Ryan Giggs was able to play into his late thirties in the Premier League and Gareth Barry says he wants to do it at 40. It's important to understand football. It is not all about running round, it is about using your head to play the game.

"Sometimes that gets lost, because you don't score as many goals or whatever. Given the right team around me, then I could still play in the Premier League. The two teams I played for in the Premier League were Manchester United and Everton. I am at Derby now, and hopefully we can get there with them."

The 34-year-old also discussed his ambition to move into coaching, citing the success of former players like Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Scott Parker.

Rooney has joined Derby, where his 18-month contract will start in January. He'll have the role of player-coach with the Rams, who have not enjoyed a strong season and sit closer to the relegation zone than the play-off places.

Rooney played in the Premier League between 2002 and 2018, making his debut with Everton before moving to Manchester United in 2017. He's the team's all-time top scorer and won five Premier League titles with the Red Devils as well as the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League.

He returned to Goodison Park in 2017, but couldn't find much success with his former club and moved to MLS less than a year later. With D.C. United, the veteran forward got back on track:

In his final season in MLS, Rooney scored 11 goals and added seven assists, but DC United lost to eventual MLS Cup finalists Toronto FC in the first round of the play-offs.

Derby will hope Rooney's scoring form carries over to the Championship. Martyn Waghorn leads the team with six goals scored, and the Rams have the third-worst attacking record in the division, ahead of only Wigan and Middlesbrough.

They're winless in their last five Championship outings and are coming off a 1-0 loss to Millwall.

Derby County captain Richard Keogh will not play for the rest of the season after the club confirmed he suffered a "serious" knee injury in an "alcohol-related incident."

In a statement on their official website, the Rams said the club had organised a dinner for the players on Tuesday and at 8 p.m. the majority of them returned home. It's noted "a small group" carried on "drinking into the night."

The statement continued:

"They should have known when to stop and also ignored the opportunity to be driven home using cars laid on by the club, and chose to stay out.

"As a result of an alcohol-related incident, Richard Keogh has sustained a serious knee injury that will prevent him from playing until the end of the season. 

"The players involved in the incident on Tuesday evening will be subject to a rigorous internal investigation under the club's code of conduct and disciplinary procedures, but over and above any punishment they receive we will be expecting them to become involved with the excellent work the Community Trust does helping the communities we serve."

Per BBC Sport, two other Derby players—Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett—have been charged with driving under the influence. Lawrence's vehicle collided with a lamppost in the city's Allestree area, with Keogh a passenger.

Derby added that those involved in the incident will "know they will pay a heavy price for their actions," although the club confirmed it will also assist in any rehabilitation and seek to integrate the players back into the squad.

The BBC reported Lawrence was taken to hospital as a precaution. Both he and Bennett will appear at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court on October 15.

According to John Percy of the Daily Telegraph, Keogh suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury and a suspected fractured wrist. The defender was reportedly in the back seat of Lawrence's Range Rover.

The Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit shared a photo of the wreck following the crash and later confirmed Bennett and Lawrence were in the vehicle:

Keogh, 33, has been on Derby's books since 2012 after signing from Coventry City and was named captain in his first season at the club. Last season, he was rewarded with the club's Players' Player of the Year prize after helping the team make it to the Championship play-off final, which they lost to Aston Villa.

The defender has also been capped by the Republic of Ireland 26 times, although the layoff is likely to end any hopes he has of playing a part at the 2020 UEFA European Championship next summer, should his country qualify.

Former Manchester United star and current DC United striker Wayne Rooney is reportedly in talks with Championship club Derby County to take on the role of player-coach.

According to the Telegraph's James Ducker, he would work under current manager Phillip Cocu, who replaced Chelsea boss Frank Lampard in the summer.

Rooney previously talked about his desire to become a manager after his playing days are over, per Ducker: 

"I'm taking the steps to get my badges completed and when I finish playing I'll see what opportunities come up. There's already offers which have been made, but at the minute I'm still a player and I want to enjoy playing, and then I'll see which offers are right when I do finish."

The 33-year-old left England for MLS in 2018, finding immediate success with DC United. He scored 12 goals in 21 matches in his debut season and was voted team MVP. This tremendous effort was arguably his top moment of the campaign:

According to Ducker, he's contracted to DC United until 2020.

His strong play in MLS would indicate he could still be an effective option up front for Derby, who qualified for the play-offs last season before losing to Aston Villa in the final. His experience at the top level could be what pushes the Rams over the top and into the Premier League.

Player-coaches are rare in football, but not unheard of. Vincent Kompany left Premier League champions Manchester City for a similar role with boyhood club Anderlecht in the summer.

Derby County confirmed on Monday they have signed former England international left-back Ashley Cole.

The Rams announced the capture of the ex-Chelsea and Arsenal defender on Twitter:

Cole was a free agent, having left the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2018 after three years with the Major League Soccer outfit.

His previous European club was Roma, where he spent 18 months after leaving Chelsea in 2014.

The move will see Cole link up with his former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard, who is the manager at Derby. The duo represented the Blues on numerous occasions together:

They also helped the team win many pieces of silverware:

"He's a fantastic player, a quality left-back, and he also brings great experience to the dressing room," Lampard said, per the Derby website. "I know him very well from our time together at Chelsea, and with England, and I also know what he can bring to the group and the influence he will have."

The Derby manager added that Cole is "in good shape" and is ready to "compete for a place in the side like every other player here."

At 38, the defender's best years are long behind him, but Lampard clearly feels he can bring some crucial experience to the team as they seek to secure promotion to the Premier League.

Derby sit in sixth place in the Championship, meaning they are on course for a play-off spot. Bristol City are two points back in seventh; looking up the table, the Rams trail Norwich City, who occupy an automatic promotion berth in second spot, by seven points.

Cole has enjoyed numerous successes in his career and at his peak was considered the best left-back in the game by many. If he can force his way into the Derby side on a regular basis and help the team into the top flight, it'd be a tremendous achievement in the twilight of his career.