Mark Stallard believes that Wayne Rooney will be crucial to attracting players to Derby County ahead of what should be a very busy summer.

The Rams are still waiting for Chris Kirchner's takeover to be finalised, although it's seen as a matter of time before he does take charge.

Rooney has already been in regular contact with the American businessman, so he has lined up plenty of transfer targets that he wants to bring in to help the side push for promotion back to the Championship next season.

And, speaking to Derbyshire Live, former striker Stallard explained how the chance to work with the Manchester United legend will give Derby an edge over rivals when it comes to bringing in new recruits.

"If I was a player and somebody put a deal in front of me and I had the choice of Derby or somewhere else, I'd go to Derby obviously. But Derby and the kudos of Rooney will carry a certain amount. But every personality and every player is different.

"So Derby with Wayne Rooney will carry a premium over maybe a similar level of a club who may be offering a bit more money."

The verdict

There's no doubting that the chance to work with Rooney is going to appeal to many players out there, so Stallard does have a point.

Not only is the Derby boss a legend in English football, but he has crucially shown, in the last year especially, that he is a good manager.

So, once this takeover does go through, Derby will be a very appealing prospect for players and it will be interesting to see who Rooney can convince to join the club.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.