Former Derby County boss Wayne Rooney has been linked with the Birmingham City job over the past week should John Eustace leave for new pastures.
The Blues have had an excellent start to the 2023/24 campaign in the Championship and are sitting fourth in the table, having picked up three wins and two draws in their first five games. Birmingham and Preston North End are the only teams without a defeat this season in England’s second tier.
Meanwhile, Scottish giants Rangers have struggled this season, mounting pressure on head coach Michael Beale. The Mirror reported last week that Eustace has emerged as Rangers’ top candidate should the club pull the plug on Beale’s time in charge.
The outlet also claimed that should Eustace’s seat be vacated at St Andrews, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney is the favourite to take over. The former England skipper has been left frustrated by contract talks with his current employers DC United and could be set for a return home in the near future.
In a recent press conference, Rooney was questioned about the Birmingham City links but the 37-year-old refused to get involved with any speculation [quotes via Derbyshire Live]:
“Unfortunately, I can’t stop speculation, that happens, but my only focus is to try and get DC United into the playoffs.”
However, over a week prior, Rooney also admitted his frustration with how the MLS club have handled his contract situation. Speaking to the Washington Post, Man United’s all-time top goalscorer said:
“I am slightly disappointed and frustrated that there has been no contact for two months. We asked about a new deal. We can sit down and talk about it. We haven’t heard back. Either way, I can take whatever the situation is. I was hoping we would have, either way, at least spoken about it. That hasn’t been the case.”
Writer’s View
There are a lot of moving pieces for Rooney to make the jump to Birmingham City. Beale will need to be relieved of his duties, freeing up the manager’s chair at Ibrox and the Scottish giants must look to the Englishman to turn their season around.
Only then, if the Blues don’t have a head coach, will Rooney be a possible candidate. Of course, anything can happen in football. Managers get sacked all the time but this appointment seems unlikely because of how many moving parts there are.
Deputy Head of Writing