Phillip Cocu is a dead man walking at Derby County, with Wayne Rooney set to replace him as manager, according to the Daily Mail.
Derby currently sit 22nd in the Championship. If the Rams are unable to turn their fortunes around, they could face relegation into League One, which would be disastrous considering they have been on the promotion push in recent seasons.
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It come as no surprise that, as the Daily Mail report, manager Phillip Cocu is set to be given his marching orders. What is surprising, though, is who the report claims Derby are interested in replacing him with.
Oftentimes Championship clubs opt for managers with pedigree. It’s an incredibly difficult division to navigate, with promotion to the Premier League the ultimate prize but the toughest of tasks.
Nonetheless, the Daily Mail believe that England legend Wayne Rooney, who is currently a player-coach at Pride Park, is in line to replace Cocu – whose time at Derby could come to an end tonight if they lose to Nottingham Forest.
As the report notes, Rooney has not even completed is UEFA coaching badges yet, but he could be thrown into the deep end by being given the Derby hot seat before long.
If that is to be the case, it’ll be a ‘sink or swim’ situation for the former Manchester United striker.