At 34, the former England captain is in his twilight years and took on a player/coach role with the Championship club in January.

His illustrious career has seen him start at Everton, move to Man United where he became their record goalscorer, before returning to the Toffees and even play in MLS for DC United.

Rooney burst onto the scene in 2002 as a 16-year-old with an outrageous goal against Arsenal.

Nearly two decades on, he is still playing albeit in a slightly different role than when he first began his career.

In recent games he’s featured in a holding midfield role and not in the position we are most used to seeing him – attack.

Former England teammate Darren Bent is not surprised Rooney has been a success with Derby in the Championship.

“He’s Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer now playing in holding midfield, which just doesn’t sound right,” Bent told talkSPORT. “It’s a testament to him and the technique he’s got.

“His range of passing has always been phenomenal. His distribution is second to none. It doesn’t surprise me.

“In that league, I think in holding midfield you can kind of get away with it. In the Premier League it is a key position as you are talking about players that start the attack; you are talking about the Ndidis, the Kantes, the Jorginhos… these guys get the ball and start the attack.

“In the Premier League it might be a bit more difficult, but in the Championship he can get the ball from the back and pass it all over the park.

“I didn’t see it coming, but if you had asked me I wouldn’t have been surprised because his technique is second to none.”

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Derby have arguably been a better side since Rooney joined and Bent feels it’s the effect he’s had off the pitch which is just as important as the effect he’s had on it.

“Seeing him now as he’s getting older, and the legs aren’t what they once were, he’s still managing to be effective in games,” continued Bent. “His performances on the pitch have been good but more so I think it’s the effect he’s had one the younger kids like Jason Knight, Max Bird… these type of guys.

“When he first went there Derby were struggling and I know they have been a bit inconsistent recently, but for the first five or six games they didn’t lose. The impact was immediate.

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“If you are a young player and someone of that quality – you are talking about an all-time great – walks into the dressing room it’s always going to have a positive effect.

“After the past few seasons – especially after the last one – there was optimism with Frank Lampard being in charge and they had some of the young players in Mason Mount, Harry Wilson and Fikayo Tomori and there was a real buzz around Derby. Every one of them left.

“It fell a bit flat so bringing someone of this stature in was massive. You hope it’s going to pay dividends, but it’s just how much he has left in the tank?

“Some of those players at Derby would not have dreamt in their wildest dreams they would ever play with Wayne Rooney.

“I never thought I would see him in the Championship; the fact he’s in the Championship with Derby is massive.

“I don’t care how old he is and at what stage in his career he’s at, you have to admire the guy. I’m still quite close to a lot of guys at Derby and they say his standards are very, very high.”

The role Rooney is playing at Derby is one we are not used to seeing him in, but it’s a role Phillip Cocu says is best for the team.

He told the Derby Telegraph: “I think at the moment I think it is his best position, but he can play as a no.10 or when you play with one holding midfielder he can be one of the two offensive midfield players.

“He gives us a lot in build up with Max Bird, they have a great connection, and that was important.”

The building blocks had been put in place as far back as 2011 for Rooney to convert into a midfielder.

Many thought he would eventually move further down the pitch the older he got and when he started to lose his pace.

His range of passing and footballing intelligence was often cited as the reason he could thrive in another position.

After a particularly impressive midfield performance in the Champions League against Otelul Galati in 2011, Rooney’s then-Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It was an option for us and a good option because he has all the qualities you need to be a central midfield player.

“The first thing you have to say about him is that he receives the ball very well. He is aided by the fact he plays in a forward role, when receiving the ball is more of an issue, but that was an advantage for him.”

Playing in midfield was not something he was initially keen on to begin with, however, and even caused Rooney to consider quitting United in 2013.

“Everyone at the club knew that [in attack] is where I wanted to play and I think that’s why I was disappointed because I got told to play in midfield and I didn’t want to,” said Rooney in a press conference.

“But I’d always go in and try to help the team, so I think there had to come a point where for my own career I had to be a bit selfish, really.”

It seems Rooney has accepted his new role as a midfielder and Derby have shown an improvement with him in the side.

When he made his debut they were 17th in the Championship and since then they have made a steady improvement up to 13th.

It’s a far cry from their run to the play-off final last season under Frank Lampard, where they were eventually beaten by Aston Villa.

Derby are a better side with Rooney and the stats show the influence the former Manchester United player is having with on the Rams.

The 34-year-old has scored four goals and added two assists in 15 total appearances, but it’s his passing numbers that have been truly impressive.