Former England striker Wayne Rooney has claimed he is still good enough to play in the Premier League as the DC United striker prepares to take up a player-coach role with Championship outfit Derby County.
Rooney netted 208 goals in the English top-flight during two spells with Merseyside club Everton either side of his trophy-laden time at Old Trafford with Manchester United, where he became the club’s top scorer.
He joins a Rams side siting 16th in the second tier, but Rooney believes he can still cut in the top division.
Rooney watched Derby lose 1-0 to Millwall at Pride Park on Saturday and admitted that he never wanted to leave the English Premier League but now his focus is on Derby County, “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.
With Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial lining up United’s front three, the only thing the attack lacks is a bit of experience and Rooney has hinted at possibly playing for a long time. The 34-year-old Rooney drew comparisons to Ryan Giggs and further explained, “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. Given the right team around me, then I could still play in the Premier League.”
Rooney plans to go into management in the foreseeable future but believes that he still has a lot to offer on the pitch as a footballer if teams play to his strengths.
