Wayne Rooney sends message to international manager about Derby County man

Wayne Rooney has told Wales boss Rob Page to drop any issues he may have with winger Tom Lawrence after his latest international snub in March. 

Despite Derby’s well publicised struggles, Lawrence has been in excellent form while captaining the Rams this season, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in 35 Championship games.

However, the 28-year-old hasn’t played for Wales since March 2021 and was left out of the squad for Euro 2020 last summer leaving Rooney scratching his head to his attackers continued omission from the squad.

It left him urging Rob Page to forget any issues he may have with Lawrence, suggesting there might be history between the two.

Speaking to the media after Derby’s defeat to Swansea on Saturday, Rooney said: “Tom Lawrence wants to play for Wales, but it’s a personal choice from the Wales manager.

“I think he managed Tom at U21 level and maybe there’s a bit of history. As manager, you need to get over that.

“Wales are in a position where they are trying to qualify for the World Cup. They need their best players and Tom is certainly one of Wales’ best players.”

The last of Lawrence’s caps came against Serbia last year in a friendly with Page preferring the likes of Johnny Williams, Sorba Thomas, Brennan Johnson and Rubin Colwill in recent squads.

The Verdict

It’s a surprise to see that Lawrence hasn’t been called up recently. He’s having his best ever season in a Derby shirt, and probably his career and has continued to be one of the best players in the league when looking at his numbers.

His omission cannot be down to form leading to the suggestion of history between the two. However, it’s a tight camp within the Wales setup and integrated players regularly wouldn’t be the easiest.

However,