ROOKIE boss Wayne Rooney revealed he has had a pep talk from Sir Alex Ferguson.
The interim Derby manager, still waiting to see if he will be given the job full-time, has spoken to Fergie and another former manager David Moyes.
Rooney, 35, will not know if he can stay in the role until the club’s Abu Dhabi takeover has finally been completed.
It was due to have gone through this week — but it still had not happened on Thursday, leaving Rooney in charge for Saturday’s trip to Millwall.
Rooney has long made it clear he sees himself going into management.
And he has already taken advice from his former Manchester United boss Sir Alex and another former Old Trafford manager in Moyes, who was also in charge when Rooney burst on to the scene at Everton as a teeanger.
Rooney said: “Yes, I’ve spoken to Sir Al, David and a few other people.
“It was good to catch up, but also to get some advice on certain things.
“It wasn’t about how the team is playing or set up. It was just a general chat, but if you have the chance to be able to speak to Sir Alex Ferguson about things, it’d be a bit naive not to do so.
“David also offered to help me if I needed him which is great.”
Rooney also lauded former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after the Juventus star netted his 750th goal in the Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev.
Rooney, who played with Ronaldo at Manchester United, said: “I want to say congratulations because it’s an unbelievable achievement.
“He deserves it. Him and (Lionel) Messi have been the two stand-out players possibly in the history of the game. It’s incredible to score that many goals.
“I’ve seen first-hand the work he puts in and how hard he works to get those goals. It really is incredible.”
Rooney is still searching for his first win since Philip Cocu was sacked.
He takes Derby to Millwall Saturday to play in front of fans for the first time since March.
Even though there will only be 2,000 allowed in, Rooney says he still expects ‘stick’ from the South London crowd.
And he says it is likely he will be able to hear every word aimed at him.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s great fans are allowed back in and I’m sure there’ll be a bit of banter.
“I was actually looking forward to going to Millwall last season in front of a crowd. But then Covid happened so it’ll be nice to get fans in this time.
“Fans are a big part of this game and very important, the quicker we can get them back into the grounds, the better for the game itself.
“It’s a challenge to go to Millwall away, those supporters will be excited and want to give their players a lift.
“We have to prepare the players for that and make sure they’re ready.
“I’m sure we’ll be able to hear every word that’s said.
“Hopefully teams like us can get fans in soon – but I’m just delighted some are getting in to see games after such a long time.
“My opinion is if we can get fans into any stadium, let’s get them in.”
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