Derby County boss Wayne Rooney has admitted he hopes Swansea City play a full strength side this weekend in wake of Steve Cooper admitting he could rest players against the Rams ahead of the upcoming play-offs. 

Cooper's side have secured a place in the top-six of the Championship and will be looking to win promotion through the play-offs next month.

Earlier in the week, Cooper admitted that he may be tempted to rest players, which caused some worry amongst Sheffield Wednesday ranks, with the Owls relying on Derby losing to Swansea to stay in contention for survival.

Now, Rooney has had his say on the selection saga, claiming (as per Ryan Conway at The Athletic) that he hopes Swansea play a full strength side to take on Derby on Saturday.

He said: "I don't care what they do. Whatever team they pick. I hope they pick their best players."

Sheffield Wednesday face Nottingham Forest in Saturday lunchtime's kick-off, knowing that they need a win to move within a point of Derby and tee them up nicely for a clash with the Rams on the final day of the season.

However, defeat will relegate the Owls and give Derby a chance to secure their Championship status.

The Verdict 

For the sake of integrity in the competition, it would be good to see Swansea name a full strength side.

However, they are well within their rights to rest players and look after themselves ahead of the play-offs. They've worked hard to get there and won't want to put promotion in jeopardy with a couple of uncalled for injuries.

In terms of Rooney, he can't exactly sit and say he hopes Swansea play a weakened team. He will want to beat the best to stay in the division rather than an XI filled with kids and fringe players.

He would hope Sheffield Wednesday would want the same.

Thoughts? Let us know!