Derby County tried to sign Amad Diallo when Wayne Rooney was in charge and the ex-boss has said he ‘thought he had’ the Manchester United ace.
Wayne Rooney is a good few years from his first managerial role at Derby County now. DCFC had him on the books as a player but after a stint as caretaker manager, he took the reins permanently at Pride Park.
After battling to survival in the 2020/21 campaign, the Rams were relegated the following season and Rooney duly departed.
DCFC - Former Derby County boss Wayne Rooney
Image courtesy of: CAT GORYN/REUTERS.
He has since had stints in charge of D.C. United, Birmingham City and most recently Plymouth Argyle, who he left in late-December 2024.
Now though, Rooney has been reflecting on his time at Derby County, revealing a previous move for current Manchester United star Amad Diallo.
Speaking to MUTV, Rooney said that he thought he had struck a deal to sign the Ivorian starlet on loan at DCFC in January 2022, only for him to move to Rangers a matter of days later. He said:
“I tried to sign him for Derby, when I was at Derby, on loan. I thought I had him, really. I think it was the next day, he went to Rangers out of the blue.”
Diallo’s trajectory since
Diallo was still in the formative years of his career at the time of Derby County’s failed swoop but he still would have been a very exciting signing for the Rams at the time.
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He would go on to score three goals in 13 games for Rangers but the following season was where he would truly announce himself as a top prospect. Diallo starred in a season-long loan with Sunderland in the Championship, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists in 42 games.
derby county, ‘Thought I had him’ – Wayne Rooney details failed Derby County swoop for current Manchester United star
Image courtesy of: JASON CAIRNDUFF/REUTERS.
DCFC might have looked at Diallo’s loan success and wondered whether he could have kept them up in the campaign prior.
However, it was a steep uphill battle for the Rams at the time as they battled points deductions in administration.
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The here and now
The failed Diallo deal and Rooney’s tenure are firmly a thing of the past at Derby County.
In the here and now though, they find themselves in another relegation battle. They ended a run of no wins since Boxing Day with a triumph over Blackburn Rovers last weekend and followed it up with a shock win against Coventry City on Tuesday.
It has revived the hopes of survival under new DCFC boss John Eustace but the job is far from done.
Going into this weekend’s crucial clash with Plymouth Argyle, the Rams are a point from safety.
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