Wayne Rooney's Derby County transfer gamble seriously paid off - he should have never left | OneFootball

The midfielder had an excellent year at Pride Park, and it can be said that he has struggled to recapture his form since.

Wayne Rooney and Derby County entered the 2021/22 campaign severely on the backfoot, with financial difficulties and a lack of a squad making it look as though it was going to be another extremely stressful year for the Manchester United legend.

The Rams had survived in the Championship on the final day of the previous season, but they did not have the means to improve the team and fight against what was going to be one of the most difficult years in the club's history.

However, just days before a ball was kicked in anger for the first time, Rooney was able to finally make the signings that he desperately needed, with Richard Stearman and Ryan Allsop joining the club while Curtis Davies signed a new one-year deal.

However, the addition of a former Man United youngster proved to be one of Derby's very best in a season that proved to be incredibly challenging in all ways, with the transfer helping to put the midfielder back on the map in turn.

Ravel Morrison was excellent for Derby during the 2021/22 season

Ravel Morrison's career had been one of struggle up until his official arrival at Pride Park in August 2021, with fitness issues and off-field problems stopping him realising his potential.

However, working under a former teammate in Rooney proved to be the break that he needed and, after spending the summer with the team, he instantly made an impact with the Rams, scoring an incredible volley on his debut against Salford City in the Carabao Cup first round.

Just days later he marked his league debut with an assist as Jack Stretton opened the scoring away to Peterborough United. However, Derby were unable to hold on with the Posh, leaving it late to take all three points.

Morrison continued to be a vital part of Rooney's plans, and while he was not able to pitch in with goals and assists as often as he would have liked, he was playing consistent football for the first time since the 2012/13 season.

The Rams entered administration in September 2021, and suffered a 21-point deduction which put them at the foot of the Championship table. Yet, the team rallied, and they started to fight back, with the likes of Morrison becoming leaders for the youth players who were forced to rise up the ranks and become senior squad members.

Morrison ended the campaign brilliantly but left with his manager

After a quiet middle of the season, a red card in the final moments of Derby's defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground proved to be a wake-up call for the midfielder, and he returned to the team looking sharper.

He assisted Louie Sibley in the final minute of a 1-0 win over Peterborough in February 2022, before scoring twice against Barnsley as the Rams ran out 2-0 winners at Pride Park a month later.

There was a real belief that the East Midlands outfit were going to get themselves out of the incredibly arduous position that they had found themselves in, with Morrison scoring twice more in black-and-white.

His strike against Preston North End in the dying moments handed Derby three crucial points with six games to go, but by this point the reality of relegation was starting to catch up with the club, and they dropped into League One following a 1-0 defeat to QPR in their fourth to last game.

Morrison made the decision not to renew his contract with the Rams at the end of the season, and moved with Rooney to DC United in the MLS, but it never worked out, and he now plays his football in the UAE Second Division.

The 32-year-old perhaps should have stayed on for another year at Pride Park, and he could have provided the team with a more creative aspect in the third tier.