Manchester United 's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney has reaffirmed his desire to manage the club one day.
Rooney, 38, spent over a decade at Old Trafford after signing for the Red Devils back in 2004. Along with winning a raft of titles and accolades, Rooney would go on to become the club's record goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 games, eclipsing the late, great Sir Bobby Charlton.
Since hanging up his boots in 2021, Rooney has moved into management. He transitioned into coaching at Derby County before stepping up to take the top job and has also had a spell in the MLS with DC United. Rooney was sacked from his most recent job at Birmingham City in January after just 15 matches.
Despite his brutal experience at St. Andrews', which spanned less than three months in total, Rooney is determined to return to the dugout in the future. He's made no secret of his desire to manage either United or his boyhood club, Everton, in the past - and he made that point again on Wednesday night.
Speaking on BBC Sport, Rooney said of his future plans: “Managing Manchester United or Everton is the aim, these big jobs are where you want to get to. But it's a process. I have got to go through the steps and get myself back on track. I want to get myself back into management to make sure in the next 10 years I'm hopefully in a position to go into one of the big jobs.”
Rooney was speaking as an analyst for Manchester United's narrow 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Wednesday night. The result should ease pressure on Erik ten Hag, whose long-term future as manager is uncertain following Sir Jim Ratcliffe 's acquisition of a 27.7 per cent stake in his boyhood club.
Rooney, however, anticipates that significant changes will be coming imminently now that Ratcliffe and his Ineos team are running sporting operations at Old Trafford. He added: “I think it's a big month for Manchester United, we all know there are going to be a few changes coming.”
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While Rooney is unlikely to figure in Manchester United's plans should they part company with Ten Hag, he is hungry to get back into management, albeit at a lower level. He recently stressed that he would be open to dropping down to the lower echelons of the Football League - if the circumstances were right.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he said: “I would, 100 per cent [take a job in League One]. I want to get back into managing and I want to prove myself – whether that’s League Two, League One or Championship. It’s all experience – I’m only 38, I’ve had three managerial jobs. I’ve got quite a bit of experience, like with Derby in administration, and going out to the States.
“I’ve got a bit of experience to lean on now, I’m still young in terms of a manager. I want to focus on getting back into management. The main thing for me is to completely cut out what I’ve done as a player and almost start again as a manager.
“Of course, my playing experience will help me, but I’m right at the bottom from a managerial point of view, and I want to work my way up. I’m not relying on what I’ve done as a player to get me into places that I shouldn’t be.”
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