Wayne Rooney is eyeing a positive return to action for Derby County following the final international break of the 2020/21 campaign.
Derby will get their final eight fixtures of the Sky Bet Championship campaign started with a home encounter against Luton Town on Good Friday (3pm kick-off).
Rooney’s side will then head south to take on Reading on Easter Monday (3pm kick-off), but the 35-year-old’s full focus is on one game at a time at such a key stage of the season.
Derby went into the two-week gap without a fixture in what Rooney admits was disappointing form and they sit five points clear of the bottom three as the season edges towards its conclusion.
Three draws and four defeats were registered in the side’s previous seven outings before the break and the international period has offered time for reflection and preparation for the challenges that lie ahead.
“We are just focusing on Luton on Friday in the first instance,” Rooney told RamsTV. “That is our next game, and our focus is on that as we see it as the next opportunity to go and get three points - and we have to really.
“It is a big game. We know that we have not been in the best of form. To have a home game on Friday afternoon, I think it is a chance for us.
“Hopefully, the lads who have been away on international duty come back with no injuries or knocks. It is a game we are all looking forward to and one we can hopefully put a performance in to get the win.”
While some players have headed away on international duty, those that have remained with the Rams have combined rest and recovery with hard work on the training ground in the last fortnight.
Rooney has been pleased with the level of quality in training and has admitted that an emphasis over the course of this week has been placed on improving Derby’s goalscoring form.
Goals have been an issue for the side all season and Rooney, who knows plenty about finding the net following an illustrious playing career for club and country, is working hard with his staff and players to turn the tide.
“The lads have had some good rest, but also we have had some very good training sessions and it has given us a chance to work on a few different patterns of play which we haven’t really had time to do before,” Rooney said.
“We haven’t had the full squad here with the international players being away, so it is difficult to work on the full team with the players we have had, but we have worked on some good patterns of play and the lads have been really good.”
Rooney added: “I think the priority for the whole week has been how we score more goals, how we create more chances and how we get more people in the box.
“That is something we have put a lot of time into this week. We hope it plays off on Friday.”
Rooney admits the scheduling of some international matches so close to Derby’s return to action has left him with a selection headache.
David Marshall and Kamil Jozwiak’s involvement with Scotland and Poland on Wednesday night in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers comes less than 48 hours before the Rams are due to face Luton at Pride Park Stadium.
Rooney, who is England’s all-time leading goalscorer, knows the value of playing international football from a players’ perspective and has conceded Marshall and Jozwiak may be forced to miss the clash with the Hatters as result.
“It is a difficult one with the international players because I really feel it is a huge honour to play for your country; whether that’s England, Scotland, Poland, wherever that may be, it is a huge honour to do that,” Rooney explained.
“I never really want to deny a player that chance to play for their country. I think the biggest disappointment is the schedule of the fixtures.
“I believe it is impossible for Kamil Jozwiak, for instance, to start the game on Wednesday for Poland and then play again on Friday for us against Luton.
“Tom Lawrence didn’t get on for Wales on Tuesday, while Jason Knight played 35 minutes for Ireland too, so they still have a chance of playing.
“It just takes the decision to play players out of your hands because of the schedule, which is tough.”
He added: “There are positives to take from the internationals as well.
“I look at Tom Lawrence, for instance. He had a game last Saturday for Wales in a friendly and he will have had a good week’s training with their squad too, so he should come back fresher and sharper for all that.
“Jason Knight had some minutes and again some good training sessions with Ireland. He is the one who could possibly could have done with a bit of a rest, but he is a young lad going to play for Ireland and that is great for him.”
