Niall Horan is a multi-talented individual. He was part of the supergroup One Direction that stormed the global music scene with countless catchy songs.
He has now begun a solo career in music and is already proving he has the talent to succeed on his own.
Not only that but the Mullingar native has been enlisted by football superstar Wayne Rooney to raise morale amongst his players.
Horan is a keen football (soccer to those in the States) fan and is a lifelong supporter of midlands side Derby County.
It just so happens that Wayne Rooney is the current manager of Derby.
Rooney had a long and distinguished career as a player and is the all-time leading goalscorer for giants Manchester United and England.
However, despite his success as player, he is very much a rookie in terms of being a manager. His side were extremely fortunate to avoid relegation from the Championship having failed to win any of their last eight games.
The club is also in turmoil off the pitch as they are under threat of a points deduction for breaching financial fair play rules, and have also had two failed takeover bids in recent times.
Wanting to improve the morale and performance of his team for the upcoming season, Rooney asked Horan to come and visit Derby’s training ground and meet the players.
As a Derby fan, Horan was delighted to oblige.
The This Town singer said: “I was texting Wayne and he said come down and have a watch
“The players had an 11 v 11 game and after seeing that, you see what Wayne is trying to do shape-wise.
“I’ve been a Derby fan since I can remember so to have the opportunity to come down and watch the stuff behind the scenes is amazing.
“Watching him in a meeting and coaching, you can’t help thinking ‘that is Wayne Rooney out there, Manchester United and England’s greatest scorer, and he’s the manager of our football club’.”
Time will tell if Horan’s influence on the squad will help Derby’s fortunes. His own music career is certainly not in any such jeopardy as his latest release Our Song, on which he collaborates with UK star Anne-Marie, is already proving to be hit with fans.