Wayne Rooney makes confident Derby County transfer claim

Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has revealed Festy Ebosele is the only player he was concerned about in terms of signing a pre-contract offer to move abroad, making this bullish claim to Derbyshire Live.

19-year-old Ebsoele is set to sign on the dotted line with Italian outfit Udinese next week as he looks to put an end to his uncertain future and though his contract is due to come to an end in just a few months, it has been revealed that the Rams will receive compensation for his services.

The teenager has become an integral part of the East Midlands side’s cause this term, making 29 league appearances and providing squad depth with his side’s situation meaning they weren’t able to strengthen their team during the January transfer window.

He won’t link up with the Serie A club until the summer if this deal does go through in a small boost for the Rams, though they will be worried about others that are also out of contract.

With administrators focusing on their short-term survival at this stage, a necessary step with the club yet to name a preferred bidder, they are currently unable to offer out deals to keep those who are due to depart Pride Park in the summer.

Rooney did provide a small crumb of comfort to Derby fans who are eager to retain some of their most valuable assets though as he spoke to Derbyshire Live.

He said: “I think Festy was the one player I was concerned would pre-sign with a foreign club.

“I think for all the other players it is very unlikely they will go to a foreign club, they would stay in England.

“So I am not really concerned about the other players from that point of view but obviously the worry is what happens next season because I have got no squad.”

The Verdict:

This is good news for a side