Former Plymouth Argyle boss Wayne Rooney has rejected the chance to manage Macclesfield FC after reports linked the England icon to the job.
With current Silkmen boss Robbie Savage heavily favoured to take over at Forest Green Rovers, reports from Alan Nixon emerged that Rooney, who has been out of work since managing The Pilgrims in late 2024, could be his successor should the former Leicester City midfielder head to the Nailsworth club.
Rooney Rejects Role
According to Derbyshire Live, Rooney, who used to manage Derby County, has turned down the chance to take over at the National League North side if Savage does leave. After his agent was approached by Macclesfield, the 39-year-old turned down the chance in order to focus on his media career, with frequent appearances on Amazon Prime as part of their Champions League coverage.
Savage has spearheaded Macclesfield’s revival following their rebirth in 2020, and won the Northern Premier League by a 26-point margin, bringing the club to within two divisions of where the club were before their dissolution due to financial worries, leading to the club being wound up in the High Court.
Forest Green are targeting Savage after the club terminated Steve Cotterill’s contract yesterday, with The New Lawn side failing to return to the Football League at the first time of asking. Rovers were beaten by Southend United on penalties in the playoff semi-finals.
Writers’ View
This is a likely expected development with Wayne Rooney. Macclesfield, as much as it might have been an intriguing opportunity away from EFL scrutiny, may have still seen a lot of media attention from his status in the football landscape. Perhaps Rooney is eyeing a new opportunity within the top four leagues as he will want to prove he can still recreate that early magic of his managerial career with Derby County and dropping down this far may not help him realise that. The Silkmen will have to look elsewhere to replace Robbie Savage.
