What Wayne Rooney has said about Liam Rosenior as Chelsea FC job beckons - it involves Derby County | OneFootball

Rosenior is expected to take the reins at Stamford Bridge following Enzo Maresca's exit

Former Derby County head coach Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on his former Pride Park assistant, Liam Rosenior, who is expected to take up the managerial post at Premier League giants, Chelsea.

Speaking on the BBC's aptly-named 'Wayne Rooney Show', the Liverpudlian recalled the time which he spent with the RC Strasbourg boss in the East Midlands, before Rosenior initially took over his position as the number one figure in the Rams dugout for a brief period after the club were relegated to League One from the Championship in the summer of 2022 amid a backdrop of well-documented financial uncertainty and a deduction of 21 points due to breaching EFL regulations and entering administration.

Plenty of change has since occurred in DE24 and the managerial careers of both Rooney and Rosenior since then, with Derby now under the management of former Birmingham City boss, John Eustace, who was ironically and controversially replaced by the former at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in October 2023.

Later that same season, Rosenior was also the subject of a controversial dismissal as he was relieved of his duties by Hull City owner, Acun Ilicali, in May 2024 after the Tigers narrowly missed out on a place in the second tier play-off places in his only full season in the managerial hotseat of the club where he spent nearly five years as a player.

However, the 41-year-old has since earned a rather stellar reputation in Ligue 1 since taking the Strasbourg job last summer, having guided the Alsace-based club into the UEFA Conference League after a seventh-place finish.

His youthful side have since topped the league phase of said competition and are firmly in the mix for yet another European venture. However, they are expected to lose Rosenior's services in the dugout, with Chelsea's links to the French side well-known, as a result of the BlueCo ownership umbrella.

After previously being a regular feature on television screens as a pundit, Rosenior became part of the coaching setup at Pride Park following the appointment of Phillip Cocu's backroom staff in the summer of 2019, being handed the title of 'Specialist First Team Coach'.

Rooney would arrive in the East Midlands for a final chapter in his distinguished playing career, during which he mainly represented Manchester United and England with distinction.

After a disastrous start to the following campaign, Rooney was named as interim manager in November 2020, before agreeing to become the Rams' permanent boss on a two-and-a-half year contract in January 2021.

Derby, of course, avoided relegation to League One on the final day of that season through a 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, before being relegated the following campaign, although if their 21-point deduction didn't stand, Rooney and Rosenior's rather youthful side would have finished 17th.

With it being widely reported that Rosenior is now Stamford Bridge-bound after Strasbourg drew 1-1 with OGC Nice on Saturday, it was also claimed that staff inside the Rams knew of his ability to become a top-level head coach, although he would exit the club in September 2022 before Paul Warne's appointment, with his successor adding a third League One promotion to his CV in April 2024.

As such, Rooney has also reflected on his time working alongside Rosenior amid the ongoing managerial saga in West London.

"He's taken chances, and hopefully that pays off because I think Liam is as good a coach as I've ever worked with," he stated.

"His detail, how he approaches the day-to-day, he's as good as I've worked with."

"Liam was so important for me," said Rooney. "He was incredible in his coaching ability. I was more of the manager and dealing with players and everything.

"So I learned a lot from him from that point of view and then I think he's done a great job as a whole."

Derby County and Hull City supporters will keep close tabs on Liam Rosenior, Chelsea situation

Although no confirmation of his appointment has been made yet, it is fair to say that Derby and Hull supporters have been watching the managerial saga with plenty of intrigue, and will continue to do so if Rosenior, who is the leading favourite, takes over at Stamford Bridge.

As Rooney stated, Rosenior built up plenty of credit at Pride Park, and has continued to do so in his subsequent roles, although sections of Hull's fanbase did grow frustrated with a style of play that saw them fall out of the play-off picture in the latter stages of 2023/24 despite, arguably, improving his squad on paper.

However, it cannot be understated how many young players have owed some part of their upward trajectory to his coaching methods, with former Rams academy figure and ex-Hull loanee, Liam Delap, falling at the top of said category ahead of another expected reunion with his former boss.