| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jake Richard Rooney[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2003-08-22)22 August 2003 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Boston United (on loan fromDerby County) | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2018 | Tranmere Rovers | ||
| 2018–2022 | Burnley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Derby County | 12 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | →Barnsley (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2026– | →Boston United (loan) | 4 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 01:09, 15 February 2026 (UTC) | |||
Jake Richard Rooney (born 22 August 2003) is an English professionalfootballer who plays as adefender forBoston United, on loan fromEFL Championship clubDerby County.
Rooney spent time in the academies atTranmere Rovers andBurnley, before signing withDerby County's under-21 in August 2022, he would make his league debut forDerby County in November 2022, in July 2023 Rooney signed a three-year contract at Derby, in August 2023, Rooney picked out ananterior cruciate ligament which left him on the sidelines for a year. After this setback, Rooney was loaned toBarnsley on a one year deal, but this deal was terminated in January 2026. Later in the month, he joinedBoston United on loan until the end of the season.
Rooney is a cousin of formerEngland andManchester United captainWayne Rooney andMacclesfield managerJohn Rooney.[2]
Rooney joined theBurnley academy at age 14,[3] after leavingTranmere Rovers following the closure of their academy.
He joinedDerby County on 8 August 2022, following a trial period with the club, and made his debut the following day, playing 63 minutes of Derby's 2–1EFL Cup first round win atMansfield Town.[2][4] Rooney would make his first league appearance in a 3–1 win atMilton Keynes Dons on 14 November 2022, playing the entire 90 minutes.[5] Rooney would feature in the majority of first team matchday squads during the season as he made a total 18 appearances during his first season with the club.
On 11 July 2023 it was announced that Rooney had signed a three-year contract extension, extending his stay at Derby until June 2026.[6] At the start of the2023–24 season, Rooney would feature as an unused substitute in Derby's opening four games of the season, but after injuries toJoe Ward andKane Wilson, Rooney would start the next three games at right-back,[7] in the third of these games againstBolton Wanderers on 2 September Rooney was substituted off after 14 after a serious looking injury.[8][9] He underwent a scan[9] to check the severity of the injury, on 6 September 2023 the scan results confirmedanterior cruciate ligament damage in his right knee, with the 20-year old defender expected to be sidelined for a "significant period".[10] In a February 2024 interview to theDerby Telegraph, Rooney thanked the support of the club, his teammates and family during his recovery and took up his hobby of playing theguitar during his rehab, which was said to be going "better than expected" with a return to training before the end of the season possible.[11] Rooney did not feature in any further games for Derby in 2023–24; he made a total of three appearances for Derby during the season, as they secured promotion to the Championship.[12]
Rooney returned to action in a2024–25 pre-season friendly againstMatlock Town on 12 July 2024.[13] However just a week later in a pre-season training camp in Spain, Rooney picked up another knee injury which is expected to rule him out for the first four months of the season.[14]
After a two-year absence; Rooney appeared for the first team on 12 August 2025, in Derby'sEFL Cup match atWest Bromwich Albion.[15]
Rooney was linked with either a loan move or permanent move away fromThe Rams during the 2025 summer transfer window.[16] On 1 September 2025, Rooney would complete a deadline-day loan move toEFL League One outfitBarnsley for one year.[17] At Barnsley, he linked up with former team-matesDavid McGoldrick as well asConor Hourihane, who is the currentBarnsley manager.[18][19] After making seven apperances for Barnsley, with only of these being in the league Rooney's loan was terminated on 1 January 2026.[20]
On 30 January 2026, Rooney joinedNational League clubBoston United on loan for the remainder of the season.[21] A day later, Rooney made his Boston United debut in a 2–1 win atBoreham Wood.[22] On 14 February 2026, Rooney scored his first goals for Boston United and in senior football when he netted twice in a 6–3 win atScunthorpe United.[23]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Derby County | 2022–23[24] | League One | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2023–24[25] | League One | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024–25[26] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26[27] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Barnsley (loan) | 2025–26[27] | League One | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Boston United (loan) | 2025–26[27] | National League | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 17 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
Derby County