Former Derby County coach Liam Rosenior is the front runner to fill the manager's hot-seat at Stamford Bridge
Liam Rosenior is in the running for the Chelsea job
Liam Rosenior is in the running for the Chelsea job(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
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Wayne Rooney has described former Derby County assistant Liam Rosenior as one of the best coaches he has ever worked with.
With Rosenior in pole position to return to management in England, with Club World Cup champions Chelsea, the ex-Rams boss has heaped praise on the 41-year-old.
Rooney and Rosenior shared the Pride Park dug-out for 17 difficult months from January 2021 to June 2022.
Rosenior, who initially came to Derby as part of Philip Cocu’s back-room team in 2019, then succeeded Rooney as interim after relegtion to League One.
He lasted for three months, with the Rams seventh in the table, and left when Paul Warne arrived.
He went on to spend a year-and-a-half at Hull City, only to lose his job after steering the Tigers to seventh and miss out on the Championship play-offs.
He has been in charge at Strasbourg since July 2024 and steered the Ligue 1 outfit into the UEFA Conference League – before Enzo Maresca’s exit from Stamford Bridge has seen him identified as a leading contender for the role.
And speaking on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show, the Manchester United great was full of compliments for Rosenior.
"He's taken chances, and hopefully that pays off because I think Liam is as good a coach as I've ever worked with," Rooney said.
"His detail, how he approaches the day-to-day, he's as good as I've worked with. Liam was so important for me.
"He was incredible in his coaching ability. I was more of the manager and dealing with players and everything. So I learned a lot from him from that point of view and then I think he's done a great job as a whole."
What did you make of Rosenior's time in charge at Derby? Have your say
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