Rooney hopes former owner loses sleep over Derby's drop to the third tier

March 15, 2022 Derby County manager Wayne Rooney Action Images/Lee Smith

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney said he hoped former owner Mel Morris loses sleep over the club's relegation to the third tier of English football.

Derby were handed two separate deductions worth 21 points for entering administration and breaching financial rules earlier in the season, with their 1-0 loss at Queens Park Rangers confirming their relegation from the Championship.

"Hopefully he doesn't have a good night's sleep tonight and that plays on his mind," Rooney told the BBC on Monday. "I think he needs to have a think about it. Where the club's been left, it was a complete mess.

"I know Mel Morris is a big Derby fan, so I'm sure he's sat at home tonight disappointed. We are disappointed as we've done everything we can to try and not let this happen and worked extremely hard."

Despite their relegation, former Manchester United and England striker Rooney said there were a few positives to take out of the season.

"We've earned enough points to stay in this division next season and developed some really good, young, local players," Rooney said. "In that sense, the future of the club looks bright. But we need to get over what's happened."

Derby are in talks on a potential takeover, with American businessman Chris Kirchner declared the preferred bidder earlier this month. 

Source: Reuters / Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford