Former Everton and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed that he called Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard ahead of announcing his retirement earlier this week.
Rooney has hung up his boots and been named Derby County's permanent manager, and has outlined how a call to Rangers boss Gerrard can only help him achieve his ambitions.
Gerrard moved into coaching with Liverpool's U18s in 2017 before moving to Scotland the following year, where he has proven to be a huge success so far.
And Rooney will be hoping to replicate that success in the Championship, though Derby are currently inside the relegation zone and just four points off the bottom, level on 19 points with Sheffield Wednesday.
Rooney told TalkSport : "This moment has been coming in terms of me stopping playing.
"I’ve come to terms with that over the last two months and now I’ve got a new excitement, a new buzz to fulfil my potential as a manager so I’m excited.
"I spoke to Steven Gerrard yesterday actually. Obviously, he’s a good friend of mine and I spoke to him to have a chat and had a good chat with him.
"Of course I’ve been speaking to players a little bit older than me, but I’ve gone down the managerial route at a young age. I can only benefit from that.
"We may have different ideas, different styles with how we approach the game.
"But there’s no harm speaking to them and learning from their experiences and what they’ve been through in the last couple of years."
Rooney had been acting as interim manager at Derby since the end of November, but has now taken the job permanently on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
The 35-year-old retires as both Manchester United and England's all-time leading goalscorer.
"When I first arrived back in the United Kingdom I was completely blown away by the potential of Derby County," he said earlier this week.
"The stadium, training ground, the quality of the playing staff and the young players coming through and of course the fan base that has remained loyal and supportive.
"Despite other offers, I knew instinctively Derby County was the place for me."
