WAYNE Rooney has apologised to Coleen and his family for his party girl scandal – but insists he was the victim.
The Derby County manager, 35, said he wants to “move forward” after he was snapped while asleep in a hotel room surrounded by girls.
Wayne Rooney tonight apologised for the viral photos and said he’d made a mistakeCredit:
Speaking after Derby’s 1-0 friendly win against Real Betis, he told reporters “I made a mistake. I went to a private party with two of my friends.
“From me, I would like to apologise to my family and the club for the images which were going round.
“I want to move forward on this. I’m grateful to Derby County for giving me this opportunity to get this club back to where it belongs
“I will do everything in my power to do that.”
From me, I would like to apologise to my family and the club for the images which were going round.
When asked if he felt the victim, he added: “Yes, but I don’t really want to go into that.
“Listen, it’s dealt with and I’m looking forward to moving forward and preparing for another game on Sunday.”
Rooney’s wife has stood by him since the photos emerged and enjoyed an afternoon at the beach with her kids on Wednesday.
A source earlier said: “Coleen is fully behind him. She feels he’s been the victim of a stitch-up.
“She has spoken to him and is entirely backing his version of events.
Rooney was later snapped with his arms crossed while peering at the ground on the sidelines at Derby’s pre-season friendly on Wednesday evening – just hours after buying up his party shame photos for £1 to stop them being circulated.
And the ex-England legend looked pained moments before the Rams’win at Pride Park over the LaLiga side – thanks to a Max Bird strike four minutes from time.
The Derby County manager made a return to the sidelines amid his party girl scandal
Rooney remained professional at tonight’s friendly against Real Betis.
Rooney was pictured sleeping on a chair while in a hotel with Snapchat model Tayler Ryan and her pals Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan over the weekend.
He was said to have been given a dressing down by Derby top brass after the pics were leaked and went viral.
But reporters understands Rooney will stay in his £90,000-a-week job and that he was left in no doubt about the standards he is expected to set as the club’s manager and high-profile figurehead.
In a show of defiance earlier today, he smiled for photographs with fans and signed autographs as he arrived for the pre-season clash at Pride Park.
It came just hours after he struck a bargain deal with Elise Melvin, Brooke Morgan and Eleanor Hoggarth, who took some of the viral snaps.
The deal with the other three means he can now try to stop future publication of the viral images as he owns the copyright.
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His people claimed the girls “volunteered” to hand the photos over and made a written apology for the “embarrassment” caused, the Mirror reports.
A statement said: “These were three decent young women who went for a night out. They did not expect Wayne to end up in their company and are remorseful about how things turned out with the pictures.
“They got carried away and did something they later regretted. They did not expect it to end up in the mainstream media after it was posted on social media and they decided to take steps to put things right.”
The pictures, which were shared online thousands of times, showed Rooney sleeping in a hotel while surrounded by semi-naked girls after a boozy night out in Manchester.
Rooney, 35, had complained to police they were “taken without his knowledge or approval” and feared he was the victim of a “set up”.
