Wayne Rooney has been backed by former Derby County midfielder Rob Lee to succeed Phillip Cocu on a permanent basis.

Rooney has previously made it clear he wants to permanently take over as Derby manager after Cocu was sacked by the club, with the Manchester United legend having been installed as caretaker boss.

The former England captain is in interim charge at Pride Park and is considered to be a genuine contender, with a John Terry and Ashley Cole combination also reportedly an option, according to The Mirror.

It's claimed the Rams are unlikely to appoint their new manager until Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan’s takeover has been completed.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast editor James Beavis, Lee believes that the board "might as well" give the former Red Devils forward the job on a full-time basis if Terry and Cole are an option.

He told FFC:

"If you're going to give it to someone like that, you might as well give it to Rooney. Why give it to John Terry or Ashley Cole if Rooney is there?

"He's already being paid by the club, his stature is as good as them, he's as inexperienced as they are - I know John Terry's been assistant to Dean Smith at Aston Villa, but he's never been a manager.

"Not saying he won't be good, but Rooney's already there, I don't see why you would pay more money for those players if you're going to go down that route.

"If you're going for an experienced manager, like Sam Allardyce, then it's different. Maybe Rooney could near underneath him? But it totally depends on who takes over the club."

It's surely a no-brainer at this point, isn't it?

Rooney has played 35 games for Derby in all competitions, scoring seven goals and supplying three assists, via Transfermarkt.

His knowledge of the game is arguably second-to-none, as his impressive resume more than speaks for itself - five Premier League titles, one Champions League trophy, one FA Cup and four English League Cups during his time at Old Trafford.

The 35-year-old then steered Derby to just their second win of the season against Millwall which lifted the Rams off the bottom of the Championship table and ended their 12-match winless streak in the process.

If he is genuinely serious about getting his first job in management, then surely there is no better place to start, as his former England teammate Frank Lampard cut his teeth at Pride Park before he became Chelsea boss.