Wayne Rooney has insisted he won't walk away from the managerial hot-seat at Derby County, despite their ongoing pre-season disruption. 

The Rams endured a frustrating season last term, as they narrowly avoided relegation into League One on the final day of the 2020/21 campaign.

A number of players left the club over the summer, as they returned to their parent clubs from their loan spells at Pride Park, whilst others moved onto new adventures when their contracts reached a conclusion.

But Rooney has been unable to add to his squad due to the club's transfer embargo, but the EFL have recently cleared them to make signings due to 'exceptional circumstances'.

Speaking in a recent pre-match press conference, Rooney highlighted his frustrations at the current situation, and admitted that it would be easy for a manager to walk away in similar circumstances, although he labelled himself as a 'fighter' that would do everything he can to bring them through this tricky period.

"It's other people which I can't control that need to make bigger decisions than I do. It's my job to bring some dignity and pride back to this club. It's clear over the last few years that it has gone a bit, and it's my job to bring that back. 

"It's not ideal of course. It's been very difficult in terms of not knowing what my squad will be in two weeks time when the league starts, and however we can, we need to get that sorted. 

"If I'm being honest, it would be easy for a manager in this situation to walk away and it's a challenge for me and I'm a fighter. I'm grateful for Derby for giving me this opportunity and I'll make sure I can do everything I can to get through this. 

"If we can't bring in any players over the next two weeks, I don't know how we're going to be able to field a team to start the first game of the season because I haven't got one centre-back signed to the club, so it would be impossible for me to field a team."

Derby are set to take on Huddersfield Town in their first league match of the 2021/22 season, which is set to take place on Saturday 7th August.

The Verdict: 

You can understand his frustrations.

It's a really tricky period for Rooney and Derby County, as they look to plan ahead for the 2021/22 Championship season, where they'll be eager to stay clear of the relegation zone.

But that isn't a certainty, and with a lack of defenders at the club at this moment in time, it's far from an ideal situation at all for the Derby County boss.

I really do fear for their survival chances this season if this isn't resolved in the near future, and you have to feel for Rooney, who seems as though he has his hands tied at the moment.