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Wayne Rooney expected for shock return to England after MLS departure

By Evan Curnew

FOXBOROUGH, MA - JULY 15: Coach Wayne Rooney of D.C. United before a game between D.C. United and New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on July 15, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images).
FOXBOROUGH, MA - JULY 15: Coach Wayne Rooney of D.C. United before a game between D.C. United and New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on July 15, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images). /
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Wayne Rooney’s managerial career has gotten off to a rough start, but the former Manchester United and Everton star looks to continue coaching. After briefly turning into a player-coach and then a full-time manager, Rooney helped Derby County survive relegation during the 2020-21 Championship season. After administration issues and points deduction, Derby were relegated to League One during the 21-22 season.

Rooney promptly left the club following their relegation and found his way back to Major League Soccer when he took over D.C. United in the summer of 2022. The former English international had played for D.C United between 2018 and 2019. Two seasons into managing in the USA’s capital, Rooney failed to secure playoffs for United in either campaign and, on October 7th, resigned from his position as the manager of the MLS side. With a managerial winning percentage of just 27.5%, Rooney has still yet to impress as a manager after impressing as a player for a long-time.

After removing himself from the manager at D.C United, Rooney is seemingly looking for a return to managing in England. BBC Football Journalist Aaron Paul is reporting that Wayne Rooney has agreed to become the next manager of Championship side Birmingham City. Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea and Rooney’s Derby teammate Ashley Cole are both expected to be assistants under Rooney. O’Shea is currently an assistant coach with the Republic of Ireland Men’s National Team while Ashley Cole has held assistant roles under former teammate Frank Lampard both at Chelsea and Everton.

talkSPORT reports that Birmingham City’s owners, who are American, hold interest in Wayne Rooney and, to date, have not attempted to re-sign current Birmingham manager John Eustace. Birmingham currently sits 6th in the Championship table, which makes a managerial change feel quite bizarre. Rooney is obviously a big name and could command the respect that other managers could only dream of, but does he tactically make sense? It’s hard to say.

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