Jake Rooney has revealed what cousin Wayne told him after enjoying his breakthrough campaign at Derby County.
Jake Rooney joined Derby County from Burnley’s academy in August 2022 – just two months after Wayne resigned as manager following their relegation to League One.
The Manchester United legend kept Derby up in his first season at the club, however a hefty point deduction left him unable to prevent the inevitable the following year.
WIth one Rooney out, another one arrived and was hopeful of making his own positive impact on the team.
The defender made 14 appearances in all competitions in his first season and, after signing a three-year contract extension, was expected to earn himself a regular spot in the starting line-up this time round.
After he was benched for the first three games of the campaign, a number of injuries meant that Rooney was awarded a start against Fleetwood Town.
The Rams claimed all three points and the 20-year-old picked up a clean sheet at Pride Park, before going onto start the next two games.
However, the defender was forced off early doors against Bolton Wanderers and it was soon confirmed that he had suffered cruciate ligament damage.
Rooney has been sidelined ever since, but has revealed that he has been speaking to Wayne throughout his whole journey with the club and he has always helped him.
Speaking to Derbyshire Live, the youngster said: “He can be a hard man to get hold of at times because he is such a busy man, but I did speak to him when I got injured.
“To have somebody like that to lean on is brilliant really. You don’t get many better to come back with answers if you need anything. I guess it is a bit crazy given who he is, but he has just always been my cousin since I was young.
“It’s not as mad to me as it is people looking in on the outside. He never got a chance to watch me last season because he was in America, but he always asks how I am getting on.
“We won at home against Fleetwood, he was on the phone. I was buzzing and he was on the phone asking how the game had gone but the first thing he said was ‘don’t let it get to his head’.”
What can we expect from Jake Rooney?
There could have been a lot of pressure on Jake Rooney to live up to his cousin’s name, but he seems to take it all in his stride.
The defender has looked brilliant for Derby County in his limited number of appearances and who knows how much he could have grown already if he hadn’t picked up such a serious injury.
It’s a real concern when a player is sidelined for that long especially at that age, but he if he can keep working hard then there is no reason he can’t keep up his rapid progression when he returns to full fitness.
With Eiran Cashin signing a new contract with the club, the future of the Rams’ backline looks very promising.