Wayne Rooney makes 'very difficult' Derby County admission to Gary Lineker

Difficult time… Former Derby boss Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney has told Gary Lineker he is determined to get “back on track” in his managerial career.

The former Derby County boss is out of work after being sacked by Birmingham City, his first job back in English football after leaving the Rams in June 2022. Rooney is credited with doing a good job in a difficult situation at Pride Park, with the club in administration and suffering relegation to League One after a points deduction.

But, after a spell in charge of DC United in the MLS, he suffered a setback at Birmingham, being axed after just 15 matches. Speaking to Lineker during the BBC’s coverage of Manchester United’s FA Cup win against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, Rooney said: “I definitely want to get back into it. It was obviously a setback with what happened at Birmingham City, but I am a fighter and want to get back into it. I enjoyed having a few months out with my children to go and watch them play.”

Asked if Birmingham was the right job at the wrong time, Rooney added: “I wouldn’t say that. Maybe the timing of when I went in when John Eustace was doing well. As I’ve said before, I don’t think the fans ever accepted me and I’m just disappointed I didn’t get to the transfer window because myself and the owners said we had to bring players in, and to not have the opportunity to do that was my only disappointment.”

Rooney admits he has faced difficulties in all three of his managerial roles – at Derby, DC United and Birmingham – including not being able to fully build his own team.

“At Derby County it was very difficult, at DC the players we brought in were free transfers, and at Birmingham I never got the opportunity to bring players in, so it would be nice for me next time to go out and try to buy a player,” he admitted.

Asked by Lineker what sort of job he wants next, with a role at Manchester United being suggested, Rooney responded: “That’s the aim. That’s where you want to get to, United, Everton, all of these big jobs.

“You want to try and do it, but it’s a process and I have to try and go through the steps of getting myself back on track and back into management, making sure in the next 10 years I am in a position where I can go into one of the big jobs at one of the big clubs.”

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