Wayne Rooney: Derby County boss says relegation fight could go to final game again
- Published
Wayne Rooney's Derby have won eight and drawn 12 of their 29 league games so far this season
Wayne Rooney believes Derby County could face another final-day-of-the-season decider in their bid to escape relegation from the Championship.
The Rams preserved their second-tier status last season by drawing 3-3 with Sheffield Wednesday in their last game.
And their task has been even harder this term because of the docking of 21 points by the English Football League.
"Things aren't going to change overnight, it's going to take time," manager Rooney told BBC Radio Derby.
"We've got to keep chipping away at the points of the teams who are ahead of us, just keep picking them off.
"It might be the last game of the season again, you never know, but all we can do is keep working, keep trying to pick up points and give ourselves the best chance we possibly can."
Derby have been in administration since September and only have until the beginning of March to show the EFL they have the funding to complete the season.
Meanwhile, former owner Mel Morris has invited Middlesbrough and Wycombe to pursue claims for compensation against him personally, not the club.
Boro missed out on the play-offs to Derby by a point in 2019, while the Chairboys would have stayed up last season had the breaches of financial rules cases against the Rams been dealt with sooner.
Derby are next to bottom of the table and seven points from safety going into Tuesday's home fixture against Hull City.
Rooney has never wavered in his belief that his side are capable of pulling off what would undoubtedly be a great escape.
And his squad has been boosted by Max Bird's recovery from a groin problem and Ravel Morrison's return from international duty with Jamaica.
However, last month's departure of players including Sam Baldock, Phil Jagielka, Graeme Shinnie and Dylan Williams means he is now having to place a greater focus on youth.
"It's very likely if we pick up more [injuries and suspensions], we're going to have to bring up more players from the under-23s.
"We have to be quite calculated in terms of bringing players up and getting them around the first-team environment, in case we need them," said Rooney.
Meanwhile, the former England, Everton and Manchester United forward has dismissed reports linking forward Festy Ebosele with a move to Italian club Udinese.
"I saw it all of a sudden pop up in the news. No-one has been in touch with either the administrators or the player," Rooney added.