Wayne Rooney’s agent is co-operating with a Football Association investigation into an allegation that he was secretly paying staff and player wages at Derby County.
Paul Stretford, one of the most high-profile representatives in England whose clients include Harry Maguire, could be fined or have his licence suspended if found guilty.
As first reported by The Telegraph, Stretford allegedly wrote a cheque of £1.6m to cover salaries in May at the financially-stricken club.
He is a close associate of Chris Kirchner, the American businessman who was attempting to buy the club at the time of the alleged payment. The FA may look into whether the alleged payments will have caused conflicts of interest.
An FA spokesperson declined to comment when asked to confirm the scope of their investigation by Mirror Football. Stretford’s agency did not respond to a request for comment.
Derby have been in administration since September 2021 and Kirchner is no longer in the running to take over having missed a series of deadlines to provide proof of funding. The local property developer David Clowes is now set to buy the club with hopes of a deal being completed later this week.
Rooney last week informed the club’s administrators, Quantuma, that he was stepping down after 19 tumultuous months in charge. The 36-year-old won plenty of praise for his work at Pride Park, despite the club being relegated from the Championship having begun the campaign with a 21-point deduction.
His decision to leave the club has no link to the allegations facing Stretford.
“Today I met with the administrators to inform them of my decision that it was time for me to leave the club,” Rooney said in a lengthy statement confirming his departure. “In fairness to them, they tried tremendously hard to change my decision but my mind was made up.
“My time at the club has been a rollercoaster of emotions, both highs and lows, but I have to say that I have enjoyed the challenge. Personally, I feel the club now needs to be led by someone with fresh energy and not affected by the events that have happened over the last eighteen months.
"I will remember my time at Derby with great pride and affection and would like to thank all my staff, players and of course the fans for their incredible support. I will never forget you and hope to see you all again in the near future and in happier times.”