Ole Gunnar Solskjaer mentioned Mason Greenwood in the same breath as a young Wayne Rooney after the teenager inspired Manchester United's Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar.

The former Manchester United and England captain is unable to make his debut for the Rams until January, after signing an 18-month contract following his departure from MLS side DC United.

Of the players with whom he represented England, Rooney would rather be the next Lampard or Gerrard rather than follow Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Rio Ferdinand into punditry.

Wayne Rooney is convinced he has still got what it takes to prosper in the Premier League as he targets a return with Derby. The former Man United man will resume his career in England next month.

The WAG, 33, and her husband, 34, surprised their sons Kai, 10; Klay, six, three-year-old Kit and Cass, 22 months, with a new dog and hamster for Christmas on Wednesday.

Wayne Rooney has set his sights on playing as long as he can as he prepares to make his debut for Derby County.

Rooney is eligible to face Barnsley on Thursday, January 2 and Cocu hinted the former England captain is likely to be in the starting line-up. He watched from the dugout as Derby beat Charlton.

The Liverpudlian footballer, 34, posed with his wife Coleen and their first born Kai, 10, in a fresh-faced shot, before posting an image from earlier this month

TOM COLLOMOSSE: The former England captain has officially started his 18-month player/coach deal at Pride Park - agreed last August - and has now received the necessary documentation.

EXCLUSIVE BY TOM COLLOMOSSE: Derby have failed to pay their players' latest wages on time with the proposed new investment deal in the Championship club yet to be completed.

The four-time Premier League winner has revealed members of the squad were allowed to attend training the worse for wear and praised Sir Alex Ferguson's man-management.

Wayne Rooney impressed on his Derby County debut as he provided a stunning assist in a 2-1 win over Barnsley at Pride Park. Rooney was handed the captain's armband for his first appearance for club.

TOM COLLOMOSSE AT PRIDE PARK: Wayne Rooney could not manage a goal on his return to English football but produced two moments of quality that showed he can still make an impact.

Wayne Rooney says he wants to 'play in every game' after making an impressive debut for Derby County in their 2-1 win over Barnsley and is happy to be the club's new permanent captain.

Wayne Rooney made his debut for Derby on Thursday, in his big return to English football. And cheering him on from the stands were wife Coleen, and eldest sons Kai, 10, and Klay, six.

The 34-year-old, who made his debut for Derby this week, has described how he was 'sucked in' by initial success with gambling before ending up losing money and then 'chasing his bets'

The former England captain played his first game for Championship side Derby County on Thursday as part of a £7.8million tie-up with Gibraltar-based betting firm 32Red.

Wayne Rooney has been accused of dying his hair, and even having a transplant by fans on social media. Within three days his beard was transformed for the match in Derby on Thursday.

Wayne Rooney is determined to remind his old England coach Roy Hodgson that he can still cut it at the top. The 34-year-old wants to play in Sunday's FA Cup tie away to Crystal Palace.

Wayne looked smart as he wore an all-blue tracksuit with black Nike trainers as he proudly held his toiletries in the tailor-made bag.

Wayne Rooney scored his first goal back in English football on Tuesday night but he could not prevent Derby from losing away at bottom-placed Luton in the Championship.

Wayne Rooney scored a stunning free-kick as Derby County put Stoke City to the sword in a thumping 4-0 win at Pride Park on Friday night that leaves Philip Cocu's side in 13th place.

IAN HERBERT AT PRIDE PARK: Wayne Rooney's appetite for the warm-up in a half empty stadium told you how much he wanted a swansong against Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round.

Everton are looking to sign Joe Gelhardt from Wigan Athletic according to The Sun, the 17-year-old who has been dubbed 'the next Wayne Rooney.' 

SPECIAL REPORT BY IAN HERBERT - Wayne Rooney's football world is now unrecognisable from anything he has known. No fans wait outside the Derby training ground. No shirts bear his name.

Taking to Instagram, footballer celebrated their lengthy relationship with the hashtag #18years to highlight the fact that they began dating while still teenagers

TOM COLLOMOSSE AT PRIDE PARK: Wayne Rooney is still breaking new ground even after 500 games in English league football with the first 'Panenka' penalty of his career.

The dad-of-four shared a video of Kai in action on the pitch to his Instagram page on Friday and instantly had fans branding the youngster a 'future star'. 

The striker, who is currently out with an injury, has bagged 64 goals in 201 appearances for the Old Trafford side and at 22 years old is likely to have plenty of time to catch Wayne Rooney.

The fans chanted his name for months before he had even laced up his boots and his presence has been the highlight of a low season for Derby. Rams fans will remember the name Wayne Rooney.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Manchester United to watch out for Wayne Rooney in Thursday's FA Cup fifth round clash at Derby, warning: 'He wants to prove there is still fight in the old dog.'

The Derby captain said the Rams were on the bus to a hotel when the draw was announced and they all cheered.

INTERVIEW BY IAN HERBERT: Rooney, who faces United as Derby's player-coach in the FA Cup Fifth Round, cited Liverpool - a club he has no love for - as one of the models of success.

INTERVIEW BY IAN HERBERT: It's when Rooney is asked whether Sir Alex Ferguson's old man-management ruses make more sense to him, now he is a player-coach, with Derby County.

The TV personality, 33, was joined by her son Kai, 10, for the match as they turned out to support Wayne who plays for Derby on Thursday.

Manchester United fans decided to take aim at goalkeeper Sergio Romero after he denied Wayne Rooney a late consolation in their 3-0 FA Cup fifth round win over Derby. 

Derby County did not need Wayne Rooney as they boosted their play-off hopes with another impressive display by teenager Louie Sibley on his full League debut.

Wayne Rooney has criticised the government and the football authorities for treating players as 'guinea pigs' in their confused message over the coronavirus outbreak.

The couple showed off their latest splurge as they took their £100,000 Mercedes GLS 580 for a spin on Tuesday.

The former Manchester United star lavished praise on the club's arch-rivals, who appear set to claim their first league crown in 30 years, and says that the season may even run until the end of the year.

Wayne Rooney, 34, paid tribute to his wife Coleen, 33, with a sweet Mother's Day post of her and their four boys shared on Instagram on Sunday.

Wayne Rooney revealed he's been getting stuck in to homeschooling his four sons on Monday, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Kai Rooney, 10, appears to be following in his dad Wayne's footsteps as his mum Coleen shared a video of him taking part in the Tik Tok toilet roll challenge on Thursday.

Wayne Rooney, 34, has been given the green light to improve the security around his new £20million mega-mansion after residents initially opposed the proposal.

Bruno Fernandes has taken English football by storm following his £68million arrival from Sporting Lisbon, winning Premier League Player of the Month for February straight away.

Caesar's Entertainment, which runs eight UK casinos including at the Playboy Club in Mayfair, will pay £13m for failing to protect customers it designated as VIPs and prevent money laundering.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has recalled the time he thought Wayne Rooney's time at the club was over, seven years before he actually left.

Wayne Rooney says Cristiano Ronaldo's infamous 'wink' after he was sent off in the 2006 World Cup brought the pair closer together and inspired years of Manchester United glory.

There were calls earlier this week, most notably from Matt Hancock, for players to give up a chunk of their wages, with the health secretary urging Premier League footballers to 'do their bit'.

There have been calls for players to give up a chunk of their wages in recent days, with the Premier League also suggesting that they should take a pay cut of 30 per cent amid the coronavirus crisis.