Rooney, who is the cousin of former Derby boss and ex-Manchester United and England striker Wayne, said the months of rehabilitation were “tough” both on and off the pitch.
“It was a dark place at the start, but I’m thankful to get here now,” he said.
The centre-back came through as a youth player with Burnley before joining Derby in September 2022. He has gone on to feature 21 times for the Rams in all competitions.
While Rooney said “it’s good just to be back” after his lengthy injury lay-off, he is determined to make an impression on his return to Paul Warne’s team.
“I back myself in any team, so I 100% think I can get back into the team,” he said.
“Without a shadow of a doubt I’m a lot more physical and a lot better now and I can’t wait for it.”
Sitting level on points with Manchester United, the only thing that separated Palace from the Red Devils was Cannon’s effort - giving the south Londoners a go
The fan was taken ill during a game at Hillsborough (Picture: Getty)A West Brom fan has died after suffering a medical emergency at their match with S
Rashford was left out against Palace last week (Picture: Getty)Manchester United have no fresh injury concerns ahead of their Premier League clash aga
A football fan has died after suffering a "medical emergency" at West Brom's away match at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.West Brom released a st