Wayne Rooney has admitted he 'made a mistake' and apologised to his family and Derby County after photos emerged of the star partying and falling asleep in a hotel room with young women.
The married father-of-four, 35, said he was 'looking forward to moving forward' just hours after he paid the three party girls £1 to buy the copyright to the images after accusing them of blackmail, prompting them to offer an apology.
Rooney told Sky Sports News after he managed Derby to a friendly victory over Real Betis on Wednesday: 'I made a mistake.
'I went to a private party with two of my friends and from me, I'd like to apologise to my family and the club for the images which were going round and 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, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure I do that.
'It's dealt with. I'm looking forward to moving forward and preparing for another game.']
Rooney's apology to Derby came after fears his managerial job was on a knife edge after the images were shared on Sunday.
A source said: 'How can he lead a group of young men when he cannot appear to control himself in public during a night out? This type of behaviour hurts the club's reputation.'
Rooney has recently been at odds with the powers-that-be at cash-strapped Derby as the former England striker has demanded more investment in the team that stayed in the Championship only by the skin of their teeth on the last day of the season.
Rooney's future with the club is said to be '50-50', because 'as manager he must lead by example'.
His comments come just hours after he paid a 'nominal' fee to Brooke Morgan, Elise Melvin, both 21, and their pal Eleanor Hoggarth, who have apologised to him and 'volunteered to hand over all pictures' having admitted they got 'carried away', according to the footballer's spokesman.
Mr Rooney now owns the copyright on the images that showed him passed out in a chair as the friends mucked around in their underwear in their £60-a-night room in Manchester last Saturday. One flashed her bottom next to the Derby County boss and then posted it online, captioning it 'Mooney Rooney'.
In the aftermath ex-England skipper Wayne alleged to police he was blackmailed over the images of him with the three women while fully-clothed and slumped in a chair. Miss Morgan, Miss Melvin and Miss Hoggarth approached Rooney's lawyer, his spokesman said.
Wayne's ownership of the majority of the pictures from his night out will now mean he can take legal action if they are used by the press or on social media.
It is possible the apology was part of the agreement to hand over copyright. The deal between Rooney and the women does not necessarily rule out the possibility of other arrangements between the people involved.
A spokesman for Wayne Rooney said: 'The three girls who took the photographs contacted Wayne's lawyers and volunteered to hand over all pictures that were taken that night and the copyrights in them.
'They have also, at their own suggestion, made a written apology to him for the events that took place and the embarrassment caused. 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.
'It would be wrong to say no money changed hands because when a contract is drawn up there must be a sum and in this case it was a nominal £1.
'They have fulsomely apologised because they wanted to do what they saw as the right thing and draw a line under the matter.'
Meanwhile Wayne's wife Coleen looked in a relaxed mood as she holidayed with her children in Wales.
The mum of four - wearing a stripy bikini top and a denim jumpsuit - looked happy and relaxed as she sat in a chair while chatting to her parents.
Her husband's picture handover came as Rooney's £5million job with Derby County was revealed to be safe.
Ex-England skipper Wayne , 35, alleged to police he was blackmailed over the images of him with three 21-year-old women while fully-clothed and in a chair.
But Cheshire Police told MailOnline they had spoken to the 'person involved' who does not wish to 'take the matter any further', but sources close to Rooney said on Tuesday night that the footballer was 'surprised' the investigation had been dropped.
Now his club is said to be furious after Rooney was seen walking two women who later took viral pictures of him asleep to their hotel room at 5.15am last weekend, The Sun reports.
A source said: 'How can he lead a group of young men when he cannot appear to control himself in public during a night out? This type of behaviour hurts the club's reputation.'
Rooney has recently been at odds with the powers-that-be at cash-strapped Derby as the former England striker has demanded more investment in the team that stayed in the Championship only by the skin of their teeth on the last day of the season.
In footage taken by a fan he can be seen walking with two blondes - one of whom is believed to be Snapchat model Tayler Ryan - to their £50-a-night hotel after he partied with her and her friends Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan at the exclusive Chinawhite nightclub.
Rooney's representatives told MailOnline they had made a formal complaint of blackmail to police, when social media was flooded with images of the night-out on Sunday.
But police told MailOnline they believe no offence was committed following the blackmail claims.
A spokesman said: 'On Monday 26 July Cheshire Constabulary received reports of a possible blackmail relating to a number of images circulating online.
'Officers have spoken to the person involved and are satisfied that no offences have taken place. The person involved has also stated that they do not wish to take the matter any further.'
Wayne's wife Coleen has refused to cut short her family holiday to Wales after the images were circulated online.
Coleen, 35, was seen on the beach in the Llyn Peninsula with their kids as the embarrassing photographs went viral on Sunday morning.
Father-of-four Rooney - married to childhood sweetheart Coleen since 2008, who was photographed on a beach in North Wales 24 hours after images of his night were leaked to social media - joined the girls in their Staycity hotel room near Piccadilly station.
Greater Manchester Police said they had received no reports to them about the incident, but Cheshire Constabulary were investigating the claims. It confirmed: 'We have received a complaint of blackmail which we are reviewing.'
One of the images which leaked on social media and went viral on Sunday shows Rooney leaning in towards a blonde reveller at a nightclub in Manchester. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the football star's part on anyone else in the image.
Coleen is said to be fully behind her husband and thinks he has been the victim of a stitch-up.
However, the women involved were shocked to discover the 35-year-old ex-Manchester United player, who is married to childhood sweetheart Coleen and with whom he has four sons, had made a police complaint after social media was flooded with images of the night.
A mother of one of the girls has questioned why Rooney drank with her despite a 14-year age gap. Speaking from her home in Barrow on Furness, Angie Saunderson, Tayler's 43-year-old mother, said: 'I don't care about the police complaint. The poor girls were just going out for a 21st birthday.
'They're 21 and he's nearly 40. He's invited them over. He sent over a security guard to invite them over to his VIP booth. It's upset them all. They're in tears. She's a good girl and comes from a decent family.
'They thought they were being funny but I've told them it was absolutely stupid. I feel awful for them but I'm also angry because they've been stupid.'
It comes after Rooney fans seemed bemused he had taken the incident in such poor spirit and questioned what offence he thought had been committed. One said: 'What crime? Was Wayne Rooney forced at gunpoint to spend the night at a hotel with two women.'
Another joked: 'Wow...if that's a crime sign me up Gaffer! I'll have some of that pre season training!'
MailOnline understands the images were taken on Saturday night, on the first weekend that nightclubs in England were allowed to open in more than 15 months due to lockdown restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
Tayler posted photos of her and Rooney to her 13,000 Instagram followers. Rooney then reportedly left the Staycity complex 'angry' after he woke up.
Rooney was out partying hours after Derby lost 2-1 away to Salford in a pre-season friendly, the Sun reports.
He is busy preparing his Derby side for the new Championship season, which kicks off in a fortnight's time. But he faces a significant challenge ahead of his first game, against Huddersfield, because the team currently nine registered senior players - two of which are goalkeepers.
On Saturday he vowed he will not walk away as manager, but warned the club it would be 'impossible' for him to field a team for the start of the new Sky Bet Championship season without significant signings.
The midlands club are currently under a transfer embargo, preventing them from signing players, after failing to provide financial records from previous years.
But earlier this week the EFL altered its rules due to 'exceptional circumstances' caused by the club's coronavirus outbreak last season. 'It's other people which I can't control who need to make bigger decisions that I do,' Rooney told Sky Sports News.
Rooney is England's record goalscorer, netting 53 in 119 appearances for the Three Lions. The forward spent much of club career with Manchester United, where he scored 183 goals in 393 appearances.
Rooney also won 16 trophies at United, where he moved, aged 18, after completing a £25million move from his boyhood club Everton. He also earned a host of personal accolades, including the 2009-10 PFA Player of the Season award and five Premier League Player of the Month awards.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com