In sing-song unison, fans of Derby County welcomed England’s all-time leading goalscorer with chants of “Wayne Rooney.” The Rams unveiled the former D.C. United captain Saturday prior to an English Championship match against Queens Park Rangers.
Although he is not eligible to take the field as a player until January, Rooney joined the coaching staff in the second row of the home-side bench to watch his new club play to a 1-1 draw.
Rooney returned to Pride Park for the first time since he showed up suddenly Aug. 6 to announce he would leave Major League Soccer early and join the Rams as a player-coach in January 2020.