Could Rooney be DC’s next head coach?
English legend Wayne Rooney could be on his way back to Washington just two years after leaving the U.S. As reported by the English tabloid Daily Mail, the 36-year-old is one of the names DC United are considering to be their next head coach and they are likely to begin negotiations with the Englishman shortly.
According to the newspaper, Rooney is open to having a new journey in his coaching career in the U.S. and his strong performance as Derby County’s coach gives him the momentum necessary to join DC United’s coaching staff.
“The 36-year-old’s stock as a manager is high following the impressive job he carried out under financial constraints at Derby County and he is open to a return to the States to further his career,” wrote David Kent, Daily Mail’s reporter.
In addition to DC United’s offer, it seems that Rooney will also have other job opportunities because of his performance leading Derby County as Everton has reportedly been keeping tabs on his progress as they look for a new head coach.
“He has been asked to interview for the manager’s job at Everton previously and will not be short of offers when they arise in the Championship or beyond after the manner in which he handled himself and his side through Derby’s battle to survive,” Kent added.
In the U.S., Rooney had a positive run as a player between 2018 and 2020, when he scored 25 goals in 52 matches for DC United. Despite his strong stats and the fact that the fans developed an affinity towards the English striker, the player’s family had difficulties trying to adapt to a new country and decided to move back to England in the beginning of 2021.
During a text conversation with a friend in 2018, Caleen Rooney, the coach’s wife, revealed she was disappointed with their new home city and was expecting more from Washington.
“Washington isn’t the best….nice to visit but different to live. Not loads for the kids to do, mostly park, hardly any soft plays and things like that,” she said. “It’s quite behind the UK, which I never would have thought. But we will get used to it (I hope).”
The club from the capital fired their previous coach Hernan Losada in April and appointed Chad Ashton as the interim coach. It is said that Ashton and Rooney have a good relationship, as the interim coach was part of the coaching staff when Rooney played for DC. This could prove to be a key factor in convincing the English coach to come back Stateside.
The club currently occupy the 13th position in the Eastern Conference standings, with nine defeats in 16 games.
-Matheus Teles
Photo: Станислав Ведмидь. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.