Wayne Rooney is pleased with the condition of Derby County’s players after they returned for pre-season training at the end of last week.
Rooney’s squad had almost eight weeks to recharge their batteries following the conclusion of the 2020/21 season at the start of May.
The season concluded with a dramatic 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on home turf as Rooney’s side did what they needed to do to preserve their status in the second tier.
Most of Derby’s players returned to training at Moor Farm late last week, with a handful of individuals that had international commitments in the summer given more time off.
Jason Knight resumed training earlier this week, while Tom Lawrence will also re-join the group at the back end of next week.
In addition, David Marshall and Kamil Jozwiak will link-up with the squad next week after featuring at the UEFA European Championships for Scotland and Poland respectively.
Derby’s 2021/22 Sky Bet Championship opener comes against Huddersfield Town on home turf on Saturday 7th August and Rooney knows there is plenty of work to get through during the next month.
Although it is still early days, Rooney is encouraged by what he has seen so far on the training ground and he’s looking forward to taking his players away for a few days next week for a training camp in the south of England.
“The lads have been good,” Rooney told RamsTV. “The lads have come back in and have looked sharp.
“We gave them a programme to follow in their time off and they all followed that, which has been perfect.
“It has enabled us to push them quicker than maybe they have done in recent years. We have been able to get up to a really high standard of sessions and they have managed to get a lot of work in already.
“The main thing is the lads get their sharpness back and they get used to playing with the football again, because sometimes that is the one thing you miss.
“They have been doing that, but also it is a great opportunity for myself to work with the team on how I want to play, the system I want to play and I have been able to do that.”
Rooney added: “This week we will stay here in Derby and train – and then next week we will go on a training camp down south.
“It is an opportunity for us to get a lot of good work in with the team. A lot of the focus on that will be on our style of play. From what we have worked on up until now, something a little bit different to what we did last season.”
Out-of-contract pair Curtis Davies and Andre Wisdom have been and around Moor Farm in recent days.
In addition, Rooney says he is also being proactive by having some fresh faces training with the squad as he looks at potentially adding to his squad in the future.
“It is no secret from last season that we have lost a few players,” Rooney said.
“It has given me an opportunity to work with the lads that are still here and also some of the younger lads to come up and train with us and gives me a chance to see them up close.
“Curtis Davies has come back and so has Andre Wisdom. There are a few new faces as well who are new to the group.
“From my point of view, I need to make sure I stay pro-active and have an opportunity for those players to come in and see how they work, see how I and the club works and show me what they can do.”
He added: “I have spoken to a lot of players who are eager to come here and join the club. At the minute I am not in a position to finalise on any of them, but hopefully in the near future I will be able to.”
Rooney, who took charge of Derby on a permanent basis in January of this year and helped the club climb from the bottom of the table to avoid being relegated from the Championship, is already looking forward to the season ahead.
The side’s pre-season games programme will see them host Manchester United and Real Betis at Pride Park Stadium during July, while they will also travel to League Two Salford City and National League Notts County as part of their preparations.
He said: “I am excited not just for the first game of the season, but also the friendly games.
“It is an opportunity to work with the team, work with the players we have got here and get some good work into them. Of course, all those friendly games build up to that first game of the season.”
