Soccer

WAYNE Rooney’s £4.5million Derby County job was on a knife edge tonight over leaked pictures of him passed out in a hotel.The club is furious after images of the sozzled England legend, 35, and semi-naked girls went viral.
Rooney’s £4.5million Derby County job is on a knife edgeCredit: Paul Tonge
Footage taken at 5.15am shows Rooney walking to the £60-a-night Staycity hotel with two blondes, including stunning Tayler
A source said: “It’s 50-50. As manager he must lead by example.”
Wife Coleen, also 35, is standing by him.
Pictures went viral showing the former England star, 35, passed out and surrounded by semi-naked girls in a hotel room.
A source said: “How can he lead a group of young men when he cannot appear to control himself in public during a night out? This type of behaviour hurts the club’s reputation.”
Rooney returned to pre-season training on Monday and was seen putting players through their paces.
🔵 Read our Wayne Rooney live blog for the very latest updates
But he could now be fired before the Rams’ Championship campaign gets under way on August 7.
Club executives had imposed a zero-tolerance policy to restore Derby’s tarnished image after star players Tom Lawrence, 27, and Mason Bennett, 25, were convicted over a drink-drive smash in 2018.
Rooney was expected to play a key role in the policy — but could now lose his job.
A source said: “It’s 50-50. The club is extremely upset by the images that have emerged. As ­manager he must lead by example, on and off the field. That is the very least they expect from him.
“There is absolutely no suggestion of sexual impropriety on his part. But Wayne is clinging on and is desperate to keep hold of the job.
“His salary is one of the biggest in the Championship. To lose it now would be a massive setback.”
‘MASSIVE SETBACK’
Bleary-eyed dad-of-four Rooney, wed to Coleen, 35, headed into Manchester after his team lost 2-1 to Salford City in a friendly on Saturday.
He and his pals went to the exclusive Chinawhite nightclub and were escorted to a VIP booth where they spent the night boozing.
Rooney is said to have sent a security guard to invite model Tayler Ryan and her pals Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan, all 21, to join them. They partied through the night before leaving together at 4am.
And footage taken at 5.15am shows Rooney walking to the £60-a-night Staycity hotel with two blondes, including stunning Tayler.
England’s record goalscorer joined the girls inside the hotel room moments later and posed for selfies with them. But he soon passed out on a chair before the giggling girls decided to whip off their clothes and parade around in front of him in their undies.
Rooney woke up at 6am and made a quick exit after texting a pal begging for a lift — but the girls decided to post snaps from their “wild night” on Snapchat.
Tayler, who has 13,000 Instagram followers, posted a photo of her ­sitting with Rooney on the settee.
She used a filter to decorate some of her snaps, scrawling the word “cute” across her face. Other images showed the group stripping off for a series of prank pictures.
The images were leaked online and went viral within hours, although friends of the girls insisted no sexual activity had taken place.
Rooney said they were taken without his knowledge or consent and claimed he had been “set-up”. But tonight Cheshire Police said it was satisfied that no offences had taken place.
They also claimed “the person involved has also stated they do not wish to take the matter any ­further”.
But sources close to Rooney say he is dismayed at the suggestion he wanted no action to be taken.
Meanwhile, long-suffering wife Coleen is standing by him, with Rooney believed to be holed up at the family’s £20million mansion in Knutsford, Cheshire.
‘INUNDATED WITH MESSAGES’
A friend said: “Coleen has told friends everything between her and Wayne is fine and that she has no doubts over his version of events that night.
“She has been inundated with messages from friends about the pictures but maintains there is no trouble between them. Coleen is a strong woman and has faced far worse but she won’t stand for any nonsense.”
She continued a family hol in Abersoch, Gwynedd, yesterday. Rooney joined Derby as ­player-coach in January 2020 after a spell at DC United in the US.

His arrival at Pride Park immediately sparked controversy after it was revealed part of his big-money wage deal would be footed by web casino 32Red, the club’s main sponsor.
As part of the agreement Rooney wore the number 32 shirt. He retired in January to become full-time boss and signed a deal until summer 2023.
Rooney vowed to get them in the Premier League and write ­history as a boss in the way he had done as a player. They narrowly avoided relegation last season
Long-suffering wife Coleen is standing by himCredit: instagram
Rooney is said to have sent a security guard to invite model Tayler Ryan to his table
Rooney joined Derby as ­player-coach in January 2020 after a spell at DC United in the USCredit: Rex Features
Wayne Rooney seen walking with two blondes back to budget hotel where he passed out More