Derby County boss Wayne Rooney speaks out over Everton job amid manager speculation

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney claims he has not held talks with Everton over replacing Rafa Benitez as manager amid recent speculation.

Talk has mounted in recent days over a sensational return to Goodison Park for the ex-Blues sensation, who had two spells with Everton as a player.

However, as relayed by Derby Telegraph, Rooney says he has had no communication with Everton and is committed to Derby.

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Easy link

The speculation surrounding the return of Rooney to Goodison Park, this time as a manager, appears just to be a lazy link.

As someone who has close ties to the club, and is currently doing a decent job as manager, Rooney was always likely to be linked with Everton soon rather than later.

However, he has come out and denied any contact with the Blues and signalled his commitment to the job he currently has at Pride Park.

The Rams are currently rock-bottom of the Championship after they were hit with a 21 point deduction over financial irregularities.

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But Rooney has earned praise for accruing 25 points in 22 games during trying circumstances.

Without the deduction, they would be 19th, six points ahead of the relegation zone.

But he’s still a rookie in managerial terms, and it would be a huge risk for Everton to replace Rafa Benitez with the 36-year-old.

In other Everton news, the Blues have reportedly made a major signing this week with an announcement imminent.

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