Wayne Rooney, fresh from signing a deal on Tuesday to become a player-coach at Derby County from next January, told reporters that he had always hoped to become a manager once his playing days were over. The 33-year-old, Manchester United and England’s most prolific scorer, also said he had been excited to see former England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard make their way in a world usually dominated at the top level by foreign coaches. Rooney will be following most closely in the footsteps of Lampard, who last season took the team he is set to join all the way to the Championship playoff final. Lampard has now taken over at Chelsea, while Steven Gerrard is in charge of Scottish side Rangers. “It’s great to see them going into management. But it’s not just because of that, I’ve always had an ambition to go into management,” Rooney told reporters. -- Reuters