"I'm worried," Wayne Rooney said one afternoon at the beginning of March. "The players are worried. The staff are worried." Across the table, half a dozen local reporters sat quietly. They looked worried too.
One of the most accomplished players in the history of the Premier League, the player who has scored the most goals for both England and Manchester United, Rooney now manages Derby County, a storied club facing relegation from the second-tier EFL Championship. As he spoke that day, Derby sat five points from safety, with a challenging game at Bournemouth up next.