Wayne Rooney apologises to family and Derby over leaked online images

"I made a mistake."

Wayne Rooney has apologised to his family and Derby County after images emerged over the weekend showing him on a night out with a group of young women, with one of the pictures appearing to show the former England star asleep in a hotel room with them. From the start, Rooney has denied any wrongdoing. Speaking to Sky Sports after his Derby County side's friendly against Real Betis on Wednesday, the 35-year-old admitted that he was at fault. He said: "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." On Tuesday, Cheshire Police confirmed that they had dropped a complaint of blackmail made over the images. Rooney continued: "It's dealt with. I'm looking forward to moving forward and preparing for another game on Sunday." Derby kick off their Championship season on August 7 against Huddersfield.