LONDON, April 8 — Derby County manager Wayne Rooney said the struggling Championship club can now see a future after it was announced that American businessman Chris Kirchner is the preferred bidder for their takeover.

Derby’s administrators accepted Kirchner’s bid on Wednesday.

"It’s a positive step for us all,” Rooney said. "There is still work to be done to get it (the takeover) completed, but it’s the first time that this club can move forward.

"The important thing is that this club survived,” he added.

"As I was sat here last week, I don’t think any of us knew what the future of the club was going to be... but we can now see a future for the club. There’s a lot of work to be done to make sure that starts in a positive way for next season.”

Derby are second-bottom in the second-tier Championship after 40 games due to points deductions imposed when they went into administration. — Reuters