It’s not taken long for the relief of Rafael Benitez’s departure to turn into worry as Everton embark on another search for their next manager.
Roberto Martinez has emerged as the initial frontrunner to take over in the Goodison hot seat, despite him not having managed another club side in the six years since his dismissal from Goodison Park in 2016.
Another familiar name on the Everton scatter-gunned shortlist is Wayne Rooney, although his credentials deserve greater recognition than simply being as a consequence of his former Everton past.
As things stand, Rooney’s Derby are joint bottom of the Championship. A pretty unremarkable feat at first glance and not one to inspire a bolt of optimism from an Everton point of view.
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Yet those who don’t pay close attention to England’s second-tier may be unaware that the Rams have actually been deducted 21 points this season due to the club's administration issues, putting them firmly on course to suffer relegation.
Without the deduction, Rooney’s side would be in the top half of the table, most likely with ambitions of pushing towards the play-off places.
That’s not the only obstacle the former Everton forward had to overcome, with the club’s administration issues also having a direct impact on the players Rooney’s had available for selection.
Not only did he start the campaign with a depleted squad and minimal opportunities to strengthen, but even as recently as last week, Rooney was forced to let key central defender Phil Jagielka leave on the eve of his team’s clash with Sheffield United.
The 39-year-old's contract was due to expire on Monday and Rooney wanted to extend his stay at Pride Park.
However, Derby's administrators had been requested by the EFL to provide proof of funds, and without this proof of funds, Derby are not allowed to extend contracts or sign players.
Even despite losing the experienced former Everton defender who had played 20 of 25 matches for the Rams this season, Rooney was able to lead his side to a 2-0 victory on Saturday, a victory under difficult circumstances that only added further to his growing managerial reputation.
Derby’s relative success this season has come from Rooney lining his team mostly in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation and in terms of team behaviours, Rooney’s side would best be described as practical if unremarkable.
They’re mid-ranking for ball possession, and have the sixth-highest Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) average across the division. PPDA is a metric used to analyse how aggressively a team presses high up the pitch, the higher the number, the less aggressive a team are.
This suggests that Derby will get down and play when given the opportunity to do so, but won’t over-focus on possession for the sake of it, particularly against better ball-playing teams.
It’s a similar approach without the ball, with Rooney’s men only pressing high against specific opponents or on certain triggers.
In terms of shots per 90, Derby’s average of 8.29 is the second-lowest in the league, whilst their average of 10.28 shots faced is the ninth-highest.
The above paints Rooney’s Derby as a decent but unremarkable team. Yet the context around the wider issues at the club this season can’t be ignored.
He’s having to work with one of the smallest and oldest squads in the league - only Sheffield United have had an older average starting 11 this season.
And the same isn’t a consequence of his own recruitment errors or similar, like it is the case for many other managers who find themselves in these situations. But instead, due to the previous errors made by bosses above him.
In a less extreme way, Derby’s situation mirrors that of Everton’s. The Blues are lacking a structure, identity and plan going forward.
Rooney has somehow still managed to thrive in a tumultuous environment like that already, adding some weight to the logic that he’d have a better chance than most to enjoy success at this modern-day Everton, despite the issues the club currently have.
