Former Derby County player makes Wayne Rooney revelation | OneFootball

It is now just over a year since Derby County starlet Festy Ebosele decided that his future lay elsewhere.

Indeed, in March of 2022, the then 19-year-old opted to sign for Italian Serie A side Udinese on a pre-contract agreement, eventually heading overseas when his contract with Derby expired at the end of June.

By the time he departed Pride Park, Ebosele had made just 41 Derby County appearances, scoring two goals and registering two assists.

His final season at the club, and his first full campaign as a senior player, was an impressive one, with Ebosele making 35 appearances under Wayne Rooney.

Naturally, as a result, Udinese were not the only club interested in signing him, with the youngster now revealing that his former boss Rooney wanted him to move to the Premier League, not Serie A.

“I think he wanted me to stay in England, he wanted me to go to the Prem,” Ebosele recently told DerbyshireLive.

"But listen, everyone has their opinions. I respect his opinion, we never fell out over it or anything.

“Italy is one of the hardest leagues to play in, especially being as young as I am.

“And they say if you play in Italy, you can play everywhere, so I think obviously I’m a lot more mature now. “Maybe last year he thought I just wouldn't be ready for it. I think maybe a lot of people thought I wouldn’t be ready for it.

“But I’ve definitely improved a lot as a player. I’ve not had too much game time. I definitely feel like I’ve improved a lot as a player and it will only help me going forward.”

Since making the move to Udinese, game time has been rather limited for the 20-year-old, at least compared to his time at Derby.

To date, the Irish youth international has made 10 appearances for the Italian club, with just two of these coming from the start.

The Verdict

It's really interesting to hear that Wayne Rooney wanted Festy Ebosele to make the move to the Premier League and stay in England rather than go overseas.

Rooney knows a thing or two about what it takes to be a success in the top flight, so it speaks volumes as to Ebosele's talent that he was backing him to make the move there.

Still, the footballing education Ebosele will be getting in Italy will be of great benefit to him later in his career, I have no doubt.