Wayne Rooney makes claim about Festy Ebosele with player set for Pride Park exit

Festy Ebosele has been incredible for Derby County since he burst onto the scene at Pride Park but his stay with the side has been short-lived, with the club now letting him join Udinese at the end of the season.

The Rams have, of course, been struggling with off-field issues and in the midst of their battle against administration and the drop zone in the Championship, several players have been offloaded. The latest now looks set to be the 19-year-old, with the player leaving for a new country when the season comes to an end.

Derby fans and the club themselves will no doubt be sad to see the player depart – but his current boss Wayne Rooney has heaped the praise on the youngster, telling Derbyshire Live that Ebosele can go ‘right to the top’ of the game.

Based on his showings this year, you can see why he might make that claim. After just three league appearances in the second tier previously, the 19-year-old has really had a dramatic impact for his club this year. He’s now made 30 Championship appearances – with 16 starts – and has even chipped in with three goal contributions.

His pace and electric dribbling have terrified defenders at teams much higher up the division – and these showings haven’t gone unnoticed with Udinese now poaching the young player.

With his time at Pride Park set to come to an abrupt end then, Rooney has already shown how highly he regards Ebosele by telling Derbyshire Live that the player can be a ‘superstar’ in the game if he keeps on the right track.

Rooney said: “I said a few months ago he can be a superstar, he can be what he wants.

“He really needs to keep his focus, his concentration, and keep learning to develop. Just by sheer pace and power alone he has got something which every player