But Morgan knows where his loyalty lies

MORGAN WHITTAKER feels Wayne Rooney and his former club Derby can avoid relegation – but do not expect him to cry for long if they don’t.

The Swansea striker pushed Rooney to the brink three months after the former England captain allowed Whittaker to leave Derby for a cut-price £700,000.

Whittaker, 20, had been Pride Park since he was eight.

Rooney will be relegated in his first season as a manager – either by Rotherham winning twice or by Sheffield Wednesday making it seven defeats on the bounce for the impotent Rams.

Whittaker celebrated his goal for play-off-bound Swansea with fingers to lips and a cupped ear before saying: “It was meant as no disrespect to Derby. It was about at 2 1 us getting the points and keeping the momentum going.”

But asked if his heart would be with his hometown club on shootout day, he added: “You can tell by the celebration today where my heart now is.

“It was very strange, but it was about us getting the three points and me getting my first Championship goal. I’m grateful to Swansea for giving me a chance.

“Looking at

Derby today, it’s a really good team. The run they’re on can’t go on forever.” Rooney – all red-faced defiance as a player – looked quietly resigned. He sounded demoralised too after Whittaker and Connor Roberts scored the goals that cancelled out Tom Lawrence’s effort.

“I knew the job when I took it on,” said Rooney, left. “I’ve never been in a last-day battle to stay in a league but it’s not about me. It’s about the players.”

SWANSEA (4-3-3): Woodman 7; Roberts 8, Cabango 7, Bennett 6, Bidwell 6 (Manning 64, 6); Grimes 8, Smith 6, Dhanda 6 (Fulton 86); Whittaker 7 (O Cooper 64, 6), Cullen 6, Lowe 6 (B Cooper 90). Goals:

Whittaker 63, Roberts 65.

DERBY (4-3-3): Roos 6; Byrne 7, Edmundson 6, Clarke 6, Forsyth 6; Knight 6, Shinnie 6, Lawrence 7; Jozwiak 6 (Roberts 69, 6), Kazim-Richards 6, Waghorn 5 (Sibley 80). Goal:

Lawrence 48.