Jamie Carragher is backing Wayne Rooney to be the next Derby County manager.
Former Everton and Manchester United star Rooney is currently player-coach with the Rams.
Derby are currently bottom of the Championship table - and the pressure is building on current boss Phillip Cocu.
Meanwhile, a proposed takeover of the club by Abu Dhabi royal family member Sheikh Khaled Zayed Bin Saquer Zayed Al Nayhan is also imminent.
And Carragher believes Rooney could soon land his first managerial role at Pride Park.
"I think he would have envisaged going to Derby, that he was going to propel them to the Premier League," the former Liverpool man told talkSPORT.
"They came very close under Frank Lampard and then they brought in the new manager, Cocu.
"I think there's no doubt, for me, Wayne Rooney will be manager of Derby County next, I would imagine.
"I think that's one of the big reasons why he's come in."
Carragher feels 35-year-old Rooney will be well suited to the move from the pitch to the dugout.
"I've read his newspaper articles that he's done and he's got a really great brain on football, when you listen to him speak about it," he added.
"We've had him on Sky - on Monday Night Football - and he's got a column in the Sunday Times.
"His understanding of football is fantastic, so there's no doubt for me he will go into management.
"And that just seems like the next natural phase for Derby.
"They are struggling near the bottom. Eventually, you would think the manager would lose his job in that situation, unfortunately for him.
"And I think it's all set for Wayne to take the job."
