Derby County boss Wayne Rooney is at the top of Burnley's managerial wish list, a report from The Sun has claimed. 

The Sun report also states that Rooney could be tempted to take the job, too, even if the Clarets suffer relegation from the Premier League.

Chairman Alan Pace is reported to fancy Rooney over other candidates - with the likes of Middlesbrough's Chris Wilder, Sunderland's Alex Neil and out of work Sam Allardyce all potential candidates name-dropped in the report.

Wayne Rooney took over as permanent boss of Derby County in January 2021 after taking up the role on an interim basis following the dismissal of Philip Cocu at Pride Park.

The club were at the foot of the table when Rooney took over, however, the former Manchester United and England striker managed to lead the Rams to safety on the final day amid a barrage of off-field issues.

Those issues caught up with the club in 2021/22 though, with the EFL imposing a 21 point deduction on the Rams for this Championship campaign.

As a result, they were recently relegated from the division, with Rooney and his players fighting hard to earn survival, but ultimately falling short of being unable to overcome the points deduction they were handed.

The Verdict

Rooney has done a really good job at Derby County given the circumstances, so it isn't surprising to see that he's a wanted man at other clubs.

Would Rooney leave Derby for Burnley, though? I'm not sure.

On the surface of it, yes, a club in the Premier League is a far better job than one just relegated to League One, but Rooney has struck up such an affinity with the club that he may want to remain there and build them back up.

He has also spoke of how he wants to remain at the club next season - so it isn't a given that he would even be interested in the Burnley job.

Much could depend on whether or not Burnley can survive relegation and whether or not Derby County's proposed takeover gets done - and quickly.