‘Tempted’ - Wayne Rooney makes future Everton manager admission

Wayne Rooney has admitted that the prospect of becoming Everton’s manager is tempting, but as it stands, he’s currently focused on succeeding in the Major Soccer League.

Rooney, 37, is in charge of DC United and has been since the summer of 2022. His name had cropped up in recent years in association with the Everton manager gig, especially during a time of manager uncertainty and what seemed like a revolving door of head coaches.

He’s built up his managerial experience from two years at Derby County and with his experience in the MLS to date following his retirement from professional football in 2021 after a year of being in the role of player/manager. Sean Dyche is currently at the helm at Goodison Park, but it certainly seems like a potential move for the future for Rooney, given his past success during his playing days at the club.

Rooney, speaking to the Athletic, revealed that the Everton job is a ‘tempting’ prospect and spoke on the links from the last two years and teased a potential appointment in the future.

“You’re always tempted,” he says. “It’s a club I love and want to do well. You look at it, you think of it… Is it the right timing to do that? What’s the impact if you go in and don’t have the impact you feel you can? But on the flipside, what’s the impact if you go in and really develop the club? I felt it wasn’t the right time over the last year or two.

“But if anything like that comes up in the future, what I’ve built at Derby (where he almost kept the club up despite a 21-point deduction) and DC United is all a development to help me make that decision easier.

“It’s a club that has clearly been broken over the last few years and they don’t seem to have got it right off the pitch, which is having an impact on the pitch. The players have to do better — they’ve got some really good players and they’re underachieving through the quality of the squad.

“They got a bit of luck to get through the last two years and still be in the Premier League. Sean Dyche has done a good job. Hopefully he can steady the team and club. The stadium is coming and there needs to be some change to try and get that club back to where we all know it can be.”

He played 117 times for the Toffees, netting 28 times and providing eight assists. One of those strikes was the famous ‘Arsenal goal’ in 2003, as a 17-year-old Rooney fired in an unstoppable strike from distance to beat David Seaman and secure a 2-1 victory over Arsene Wenger’s side.

It’s likely Rooney will need quite a few more years experience before stepping up to a Premier League role, but we’ve also seen the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard earn jobs in the league after just a few seasons of experience.