Rooney’s set for debut in Derby dugout… and he can’t come soon enough!

WAYNE ROONEY is due to attend his first Derby game since signing for the club when they take on Queens Park Rangers on Saturday — and he could be alongside boss Phillip Cocu in the dugout. The plan is for the former England captain to start training full-time with his new team-mates on Monday, after making his first match-day appearance at Pride Park. Rooney, 34, is expected to make his debut for Derby against Barnsley in the Championship on January 2, with the required paperwork, including international clearance, expected to be completed by that date. He has signed an 18-month deal as a player-coach. If he is in the dugout on Saturday, it will be Rooney’s first direct involvement in a competitive match in English football since his final game for Everton, a 63-minute appearance in a 2-0 win at Huddersfield on April 28, 2018. Since then, Rooney (right) has been playing in Major League Soccer for DC United of Washington, though he was granted one final appearance in an England shirt, in a friendly against the United States on November 15 last year. Rooney returned to England earlier this week after a break in Dubai with wife Coleen and will step up his training as a player imminently. Derby players have today off, after last night’s game at Fulham, but Rooney is set to be at the club’s Moor Farm base with the rest of them tomorrow, as he follows a tailored training plan. As revealed by Sportsmail, the former Manchester United forward had his first session with his new Derby team-mates on November 5, when he showed impressive fitness. FULHAM boss Scott Parker praised the ‘animal’ in Aleksandar Mitrovic, after the striker returned from suspension to lead Fulham to third place in the Championship with a commanding win over Derby. Mitrovic, starting in a three-man attack with Ivan Cavaleiro and Aboubakar Kamara, scored one and set up another in a dominant display. ‘He was pumped up, that’s the animal we have got in him,’ Parker said. ‘He rested up and came into tonight’s game raring to go with one thing on his mind, and that was three points.’ Bobby Reid poked Fulham ahead after seven minutes and Mitrovic doubled the lead shortly before half-time, beating two defenders to head home a Cavaleiro corner. He turned provider in the closing stages, playing in captain Tom Cairney to nutmeg Kelle Roos. Derby were toothless and did not have a shot on target. Wayne Rooney’s arrival cannot come soon enough. ‘Fulham were better today,’ said Derby boss Phillip Cocu. ‘We played the best team I have seen in the league until now. We have to look at ourselves to do better.’