Wayne Rooney is the latest in a long line of former English stars to take up a role in management.
And, like most others who have preceded him in recent times, Rooney has not had the best of periods in the English game.
Granted, there have been a lot of extenuating circumstances as to why Wayne Rooney’s Derby County were relegated from the Championship on Monday the 18th of April, but relegated they were, nonetheless.
Following the Rams’ relegation, Rooney suggested that he was eager to stay on and rebuild the club:
🗣 “We can draw a line under everything that’s happened and really start the birth of this club.”
Wayne Rooney was disappointed with his sides relegation but says he wants to be the one to rebuild Derby County. 🐑 pic.twitter.com/phS0Hp07Fe
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 19, 2022
However, though Rooney’s comments may have been sincere at the time, football is a fast-changing business and the former Manchester United man would still likely jump at the chance to manage higher in the English pyramid should a job come in.
So, with this in mind, 101 have taken a look at five clubs Wayne Rooney could join ahead of the 2022/23 season.
📰 Table Of Contents
Is Rooney a good manager?
Starting with the obvious hurdle Rooney had to overcome. Derby County were deducted 21 points for the 2021/22 campaign. This put Derby at a major disadvantage in the Championship and no doubt hindered squad morale.
However, had Derby not had a points reduction this term, they would currently be 17th in England’s second-tier and 18 points clear of the relegation zone.
This is an even more impressive achievement when you consider that, just weeks before the season began, Wayne Rooney had a grand total of nine senior players – two of which were goalkeepers – at his disposal after various players had left due to the uncertainty surrounding the football club.
So, whilst the jury remains out, it is probably fair to assume that Rooney could do a decent job at most Championship sides.
Burnley
As a result, Rooney is likely a reasonable shout to become the new Burnley boss.
The Clarets look likely to be relegated to the Championship at the end of this season and are in need of a new boss after Sean Dyche was sacked last week.
Given Rooney has experience in the Championship and is accustomed to working on a budget, he would likely go a solid job in Lancashire.
Wayne Rooney is currently 4/1 to become the new Burnley boss with 888.com.
Everton
Everton remain in freefall despite bringing in Frank Lampard to replace Rafa Benitez.
The Englishman has so far managed to win just three league games with the Toffees, losing the remaining seven to average a rather shocking 0.9 points per match.
As a result, with Everton still able to be relegated this term, the higherups are no doubt already considering the future of Lampard, with Rooney an obvious candidate to take over given his ties to the club.
Everton are currently priced at 5/2 to be relegated with bet365.
Middlesbrough
A somewhat left-field option but, should Chris Wilder take the Burnley job – he is the favourite to do so with the aforementioned bookmakers – then Boro will need a new manager ahead of the summer.
And given Steven Gibson’s willingness to appoint a relatively unproven manager – Aitor Karanka, Steve McClaren at the time, and Jonathan Woodgate are the obvious examples – it would not be too surprising to see Gibson approach the up-and-coming Rooney should Wilder make the switch to Burnley.
Nottingham Forest
Again, Nottingham Forest are unlikely to sack their current manager as Steve Cooper has taken them from midtable obscurity to play-off contenders in just one season.
But, should Forest not win the play-offs this year, there is a good chance a Premier League side such as Everton or Burnley could tempt Cooper to leave Forest for a chance to play in the top-flight, leaving the door open to a Rooney approach.
Watford FC
Watford hiring a new manager so soon after they have just appointed one? Unheard of really.
But the reality is that the Hornets are almost certainly set to be relegated from the Premier League this seaosn and, given his age and Watford’s inclination for sacking bosses, Roy Hodgson is likely to be gone from Vicarage Road in the summer.
And as Rooney has plenty of Championship experience, Watford could easily look to prize Rooney after from Derby with the lure of securing a swift return to the Premier League, which would greatly increase Rooney’s standing in the game.
