Phillip Cocu says Wayne Rooney’s impending arrival at Derby County is something everyone at Pride Park Stadium is looking forward to.
The 34-year-old former England international will officially arrive from Major League Soccer outfit DC United in January on an initial 18-month contract until the summer of 2021, with the option of a further year.
As well as penning a playing contract with Derby, Rooney will join the club as a coach and continue to develop his coaching credentials in preparation for a potential managerial career.
Cocu has confirmed that Rooney, following the conclusion of DC United’s 2019 season and a brief family holiday, visited the Training Centre this week as he begins to plan for the next chapter in his career.
Rooney, who is both England and Manchester United’s record goalscorer, will join up with the Rams’ squad once he has taken in his post-season break following 29 appearances for DC United in their 2019 season.
Cocu says the five-time Premier League winner is looking forward to linking up with the squad.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, Cocu said: “Wayne has been around and we are trying to get some of his data from his former club to know how they trained and the intensity they used and the loads.
“He still has planned a short break and we are looking forward to working with him.
“We are making a plan for his physical maintenance during this forthcoming period and following his break a sort of pre-season to build up towards January when he is allowed to play.
“He is very eager to start working here and that’s good to hear.”
He added: “He will have a short break, as I said, to get away from football before he starts the second part of the season with us.
“We look forward to seeing him with us soon.”
Cocu feels that Rooney’s experience and game understanding, as well as his undoubted quality, will be a welcome addition to the Derby squad both in training and game situations.
In his role as player-coach, the 49-year-old believes Rooney will play an important role in imparting the messages from the coaching staff onto the pitch.
With over 700 professional appearances to his name in club football, Cocu is convinced Rooney’s impact will be positive for his side.
He said: “I think it will be helpful in many ways for the team and the young players to have Wayne around.
“It is the same for us as coaches, and myself as the manager, to have a player that is the link between the players and how we like to play.
“His influence can be important in games as well as his quality as a football player. We don’t have to speak about his individual skills and quality.”
He added: “I think for our team we need this type of player and character who is involved in how we want to play from the coaching staff and how we want to press and keep the team together in certain periods of matches.
“For example, when we conceded at Hull last weekend I think we could have avoided that with someone with a lot of experience but can also reach the other players during the game. That is one of the most difficult things in football so we can be happy and pleased he is joining us shortly.”