ROONEY IS READY TO WALK AWAY

EXCLUSIVE

WAYNE ROONEY is ready to walk away from Derby County if they are relegated to League One with the club’s short-term future mired in chaos. In another extraordinary development at the crisis-hit club yesterday, the EFL issued an ‘interchangeable fixture list’ for Derby that would enable them to swap places with Wycombe if they are given a retrospective points deduction for last season sending them down to League One ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. An

independent tribunal ruled on wednesday that Derby should be fined £100,000 and warned as to their future conduct after being found guilty of prohibited accounting policies.

But the EFL may appeal that decision as they want to see the Championship club punished with a points deduction. Such is the EFL’s determination to pursue the case that the fixture list published yesterday contained provisions for wycombe to regain their place in the second tier if the matter is concluded by august 7.

wycombe were relegated to League One on the final day of last season, finishing one point behind Derby, and their owner Rob Couhig has threatened legal action if they are not reinstated.

Derby remain confident they will stay in the Championship, however, and that any points deduction would apply to next season, as their legal team are planning to delay the process as long as possible.

Rooney has made it clear privately that he does not want to manage in League One after doing well to keep them in the Championship in difficult circumstances in his first management job.

The former England captain signed a two and a half year contract at Derby in January, but given the club have been found guilty of numerous rule breaches by the EFL it is likely he could walk away without having to pay compensation, citing his employer’s conduct.

Derby’s plans for next season are in tatters with senior executives not answering calls from coaching staff yesterday and their playing personnel decimated.

as it stands Rooney has only nine senior players to work with ahead of the scheduled return for preseason training next week, and a handful of academy players have also refused to sign new contracts.

In addition, the EFL have rejected an application by the club to register a contract extension for striker Jack Marriott, which they had already announced publicly.

Derby owner Mel Morris is desperate to sell, but agreements he had announced with two potential buyers collapsed last season and talks with an unnamed american group have been delayed by uncertainty over which division they will be in.