Bombshell! Wayne Rooney admits violent row with Coleen

It’s been a testing year for Wayne Rooney since taking over as manager of Derby County, and last week he faced yet another blow amid the news his team is entering administration.

To make matters worse, Wayne, 35 – who was brought in as the team’s manager “to restore dignity at the club” after retiring from his playing career last August – revealed how he’d only found out about the threat hanging over the team after watching the news on TV, rather than directly from his bosses.

Reacting to the news, the dad-of-four looked downbeat as he told a press conference, “I haven’t spoken with [owner] Mel [Morris]. I am sure he has got other things on his mind. The players had no information and they saw it on Sky as well.”

A few days later, after the administration was confirmed, he seemed more angry as he blasted his boss as “disrespectful”, telling fans he’d had, “No phone call. No message.”

Now insiders say the latest bombshell – with reports the club has debts of £50m and is struggling to find a new owner – has rocked the Rooney household and left Coleen, 35, more worried than ever about her husband’s mental wellbeing.

A source says, “This news has hit Wayne hard and he’s struggling with the double-whammy of the club’s future hanging in the balance and being kept in the dark by his bosses.

“His state of mind is quite dependent on his career going well and he was already finding the transition from star footballer to manager tough. So this has really pulled the rug from under him, which has left Coleen worrying he could spiral like he has done in the past.”

The atmosphere at the club is said to be “tense”, as they could drop a league from Championship to League One, while the owners have reportedly told players their salaries will be delayed. Despite his anger towards his bosses, Wayne last week told reporters he would stay at the club and not abandon his teammates, furiously insisting, “I grew up on a council estate in Liverpool. I know how tough life can be. What kind of person would I be if I went and laid on a beach for a few weeks?”

It’s the latest bump after an already rocky start to his managerial career. The club has been plagued by financial troubles as well as off-pitch issues, including two players convicted for drink-driving in addition to scandal in Wayne’s own personal life – he had to apologise to his bosses and family after embarrassing snaps of him looking worse-for-wear in a hotel with three scantily-clad women went viral in July.

After hanging up his boots last year following a 19-year career, insiders previously told Closer how mum-of-four Coleen was anxious about the effect his retirement could have on their marriage. At the time, a shocking statistic from XPRO – a charity set up to help former footballers – revealed that a third of players divorce within a year of ending their career, while research by FIFPro found a third of former footballers faced problems with depression and anxiety.

Earlier this month, the former Man Utd player – who shares sons Kai, 11, Klay, eight, Kit, five, and Cass, three, with his childhood sweetheart – opened up on the Tony Bellew Is Angry podcast about how he’d suffered anger issues in the early days of his career.

Recalling one incident, where he’d violently rowed with Coleen, he said, “I was in a rented house when I first signed with Man United, I was going on a night out with the lads. So, I phoned Coleen – she was in Liverpool at the time – told her I was going out and she is just constantly going on.

So I’ve gone round to every door in the house and punched a hole in it, and the last one I’ve gotten to, I’ve booted it and my leg got stuck. I was standing on one leg, falling over, trying to get my leg out the door. Then [ex- teammate] Rio Ferdinand came round because he was picking me up and looks at every door with a fist in. I just thought to myself after, ‘What am I doing?’”

Check out: Wayne and Coleen Rooney's relationship timeline - from childhood sweethearts to devoted parents

Over the years, Wayne’s career has been blighted by scandal, which has at points left their 13-year marriage hanging by a thread – including reports he had sex with prostitutes in the early days, gambling issues and boozing. And problems in his career appear to correspond with issues in his personal life.

Just a month after retiring from international football in August 2017, Wayne went on a boozy night out, ending in him being caught drink-driving party girl Laura Simpson’s car. Coleen took off her wedding ring and wrote a lengthy Facebook post, calling him “silly and selfish”, adding, “Yes, it has been a s**t time, and yes, time was spent apart and I thought my marriage might have been at an end... [but] I want to try and continue our marriage and live as a family.”

And he’s previously admitted that “boredom” during away games fuelled his gambling habit. He said, “With [national team] England you’re in a hotel for seven to 10 days. You get bored and do things to fill the time... gambling was one of them.”

Meanwhile, Coleen is facing her own drama with her looming court battle against former pal Rebekah Vardy, 39, in their high-profile “WAGatha Christie” case, which has reportedly created tension between her and Wayne given his friendship with Rebekah’s husband, footballer Jamie, 34.

And with the ongoing drama continuing to unfold, in addition to Wayne’s woes, pals say Coleen feels an element of guilt.

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The source says, “Part of Coleen feels a bit guilty about piling more stress onto Wayne’s plate with this case when he’s already at such a low ebb.

“He tends to avoid a problem rather than face it head-on, which can lead to him doing something he later regrets, so she’s understandably concerned that he could slip up again and is trying to do whatever she can to prevent that from happening. She’s desperately trying to keep up his spirits – even if it’s just cooking his favourite dinner.”

Closer’s psychological therapist Emma Kenny says, “While it’s understandable Coleen is worried for Wayne, by him acknowledging their past violent row, plus his gambling and boozing, he is showing that he’s learning from his mistakes, is changing his behaviour and finding ways of handling tough situations better. All this should be a comfort for Coleen.”

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