Manchester United legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson is backing his former player Wayne Rooney, who is also a United legend, to be successful as a manager after retiring from playing the game.

Rooney was officially signed to Derby County as their head coach on Friday, which was two months after replacing Phillip Cocu as interim coach.

The 35-year-old forward had an outstanding football career that spanned almost two decades. He was able to lift 16 trophies for Manchester United, and most of them came during Alex Ferguson’s time as their head coach.

Rooney, who was regarded as one of the best players of his generation, holds the record for England’s all-time leading goalscorer with 53 goals, which Ferguson claims will be an advantage for the English former forward as he also warns that all that matters as a head coach is results.

Ferguson said on ‘A-Team Talk with Legends’ on Friday via Goal: “He is England’s top goalscorer, he is Manchester United’s top goalscorer and he has had a fantastic career as a player and it will give him a starting point.

“But like anyone else, it is a results industry and you need to get results. He will know that better than anyone.

“He has had a good start… and he has knowledge of the game, a presence about him and I hope he does well.

“It is a big step for him. He is quite a wealthy young man now with his career in football, so he probably doesn’t need to go into management to look after his family, but he wants to do it and that is important.

“There is no point being a manager because someone asks you to be. He went there as a player-coach, he then becomes a player-manager and now he has the manager’s job and that’s what he wanted. Hopefully, he does well.”

Rooney began his professional football career with Everton, where he spent two seasons before moving to Old Trafford to join the Ferguson team in 2004. Spending 13 campaigns with the club, Rooney was able to secure 16 trophies which include a Champions League and a FIFA Club World Cup, with tips on btts being given to fans for every single game he played. He registered 559 appearances contributing 253 goals and 146 assist in all competitions for the Premier League giants.

England head coach Gareth Southgate was among the list of people, who are happy the former Three Lions star is moving into management football at Derby County. He joins his former Three Lions team-mates Scott Parker (Fulham), Steven Gerrard (Rangers), and Frank Lampard (Chelsea) in management.

Southgate said to the media: “He has had an incredible career. I am pleased we have the likes of Wayne, Steven, Frank, and Scott Parker – we don’t want too many [Jamie] Carragher’s sitting on the sofa because those good football brains are gone from the game.

“What you want from an England perspective as young English managers and ex-players to come in and add to the game and help develop young players.