Wayne Rooney’s arrival at Derby might have looked like a gimmick but his debut proved he will be a telling influence in the Championship by inspiring his teammates with actions and words on the pitch.

Although he had a hand in both goals against Barnsley his most obvious impact was as a leader. There was no power or pace to his performance, instead he relied on his guile, cunning and passing. Jack Marriott and Martyn Waghorn scored for Derby, either side of an Elliott Simões equaliser, with Rooney at the heart of both home goals.

Before Marriott opened the scoring Rooney had lambasted the striker after two missed chances. A goal should have arrived when Waghorn broke down the left and provided a perfect cross for Marriott to convert from 12 yards but he lacked composure, sending the ball well wide.

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A sign of Rooney the coach came when Marriott fluffed his lines again, slotting wide after being sent through one on one. Upon the ball sliding beyond the post, Rooney berated Marriott, showing he is not just the star of the play but directing it, too. “Players miss chances but the way he was casual and lazy about the shot is why I said to him, ‘you have got to put it in no matter if you are offside or not’. Hopefully he won’t do that again,” Rooney said.

The former England striker was deployed at the tip of a midfield diamond, sporting the captain’s armband previously worn by Richard Keogh who was sacked after a late-night car crash. Rooney is in Derby to provide a better example, with the most important arrival in the club’s history replacing the suspended Krystian Bielik.

“A lot of people see him as a striker and a goalscorer but his vision of the game is excellent,” the Derby manager, Phillip Cocu, said. “I like the way he plays because he is not focused on himself but he also puts other people in good positions in front of goal. He played a great game.”

Rooney proved his worth as a player when he whipped in a dangerous free-kick from a deep position for Marriott to make amends, diverting the ball into the bottom corner after getting away from his marker for his first goal in 18 appearances.

Barnsley created a rare counterattack five minutes after the break, resulting in Simões toe-poking home a rebound from close range after the original shot was stopped. It was a first professional goal for the striker who arrived a year ago from FC United of Manchester.

Rooney should have scored soon after when he found himself unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box but he failed to make connection with his head and the ball bounced wide off his right shoulder.

A number of crossfield passes were sent from Rooney to Andre Wisdom 40 yards away. In the 57th minute the ultimate aim was achieved when Wisdom controlled the ball, drove towards the box and pulled a pass back for Waghorn to steer into the corner to restore Derby’s lead.

Rooney moved further forward after the withdrawal of Waghorn, sitting behind a lone striker as a No 10. The reason for changing his role was a simple one: the 34-year-old looked tired in the closing stages and pushing out of the centre allowed him to refrain from running as he eased himself towards completing 90 minutes. Cocu realises he needs his captain on the pitch whenever possible.

Those around Rooney provided the energy he could not but he is hoping to make up for that. “I think it works both ways really, they [younger players] have got great energy and I feel I can help them with my experience,” Rooney said. “I spoke to them a lot on the pitch about small things. I just try to be that voice on the pitch and to guide them in small details.”

A second consecutive victory for Derby moved them 10 points clear of the teams in the drop zone and Rooney is eyeing the top six. “Looking at the league table we are eight points off the play-offs, so it is catchable. We can make the play-offs with more consistency.”

The play-offs may be an optimistic aim but Derby have lacked hope for a long time and Rooney is bringing it back.