Wayne Rooney ‘flattered’ by Everton managerial prospect

Wayne Rooney has responded to talks about the apparent interest in Everton contacting him for the manager’s position, following the sacking of Rafael Benitez earlier this week. Rooney, who started his career at the Merseyside club, said “I am flattered, but Everton will know if they are to have any communication with me they will have to go through the administrator.” 

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Currently, Rooney is the manager at Derby County and the Manchester United star has confirmed that there’s been no official offer extended to him. He has had a decent spell with the Rams, managing to get them off the bottom of the table, despite the club being penalized for a breach of financial rules.

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Everton was also considering approaching Roberto Martinez, but faced resistance from Belgium. Currently, Duncan Ferguson is in charge of the Goodison Park club, while management looks for a permanent replacement for Benitez. Notably, Ferguson is in the race to transition to a full-time role too. 

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Ferguson was last in this position after Marco Silva was let go in 2019, and Everton tried to get Carlo Ancelotti on board. At the time, the club showed a distinct desire to go after managers with Champions League-winning experience, which is why Benitez came on after Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid. The stint with Benitez was uncomfortable from the start, due to the Spaniard’s history managing Everton rivals Liverpool. He even won the 2005 Champions League with the Anfield-based team. His legacy, coupled with the string of losses, which came to a head with the defeat against Norway, cemented Benitez’s departure. 

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Apart from Ferguson and Rooney being in the race to manage Everton, Frank Lampard could be a possible alternative too. The legendary Chelsea midfielder had a decent run managing the London club as well but ultimately had to leave after failing to live up to Chelsea’s high managerial standards.