Wayne Rooney responds to speculation linking him to Everton return.
Wayne Rooney has played down speculation that he is poised to make an emotional return to Goodison Park as a replacement for Rafa Benitez.
The Spaniard was an unpopular choice to succeed Carlo Ancelotti in the summer and, after an initial brilliant start, performance dropped alarmingly.
Everton has won just once in their last 11 games and while they did win a morale-boosting point last night against injury-ravaged Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the Goodison Park faithful are far from in love with the former Liverpool boss.
Benitez has pleaded with Everton fans for time on more than one occasion this season, but that has done little to turn the tide of opinion in his favor.
The Manchester United legend, however, remains content in the East Midlands, despite the desperate financial situation of the Rams and has given little thought to the idea of returning to Merseyside.
He told BBC Radio Derby: ‘Obviously I passed through the Everton academy and I am a fan of Everton. I see the reports but I have not had communication with Everton.
‘As far as I know, they have a coach in place, so for me to discuss something like that, it is not my place to do it, and as I said, I am committed to this club.
When asked about a comparison to Frank Lampard, who couldn’t resist an offer from Chelsea, he replied: ‘It’s a credit to the extremely hard-working staff that they link you to jobs, but that’s it, they link you.
“As I say, I have not had conversations with the Everton football club about the job of the coach, so it is not even something I am thinking about.”