A PUSH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Rooney rollicking did Sibley a favour
WAYNE ROONEY says publicly calling out Louie Sibley has done the teenage midfielder a favour.
The 19-year-old might just have fired himself straight into the starting line-up for today’s clash at Stoke.
Rooney told Sibley he wanted more from him – and certainly got it when he came off the bench to score a cracking late equaliser against Brentford in midweek.
When push came to shove, Sibley stood for no nonsense against the Bees.
Rams boss Rooney said: “I felt Louie was getting to a stage where he needed talking to. I felt the time was right.
“I challenged him publicly and no one likes that. I was almost certain I would get a reaction from him. I spoke to him first before doing that. He can either step up or drop off. I hope he steps up.
“I was really happy with the way he played overall, looking after the defensive side of things as much as his goal.
“Playing like that, Louie is very hard to handle. It’s all about how he reacts. This is a big period of his career.”
Rooney (right) is confident his men can clamber clear of a relegation scrap, adding: “It’s tight down there but I’m confident we will be fine. Stoke are a good team with some very good players.
“We need to be on the front foot and try to take the game to them. But we have to be aware they have players who can score goals so we must get the balance right.”
Rooney will have talks with former club Manchester United about the possibility of taking youngster Teden Mengi on loan again next season.
The 18-year-old has this week signed a new deal keeping him at Old Trafford until 2024, but Rooney would like to help him progress at Derby.
He said: “Teden has got a really bright future and a lot of potential and it is something I will look at. I am pleased with how he has been doing.
“I will speak with United about keeping Teden for another year – but that’s not down to us, that is down to them.”
Michael O’Neill believes Stoke’s hopes of making the play-offs are now a real shot in the dark.
The Potters boss said: “We will try and get as close as possible.
“We’ll be out to win as many games as we can and see where it takes us.”
But with O’Neill reckoning it is going to take a minimum of 70 points, Stoke would be looking at seven wins to stand a chance of gatecrashing the top six.