Former Premier League midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit David Prutton has provided his opinion on whether Manchester United and England great Wayne Rooney should return to management in the EFL soon after being fired by Plymouth Argyle in December.
Rooney had a wonderful career as a player, and he retired from the game in 2021 as both United and England’s record goalscorer, as well as an icon throughout world football for his Premier League achievements.
He has previously managed Derby County, D.C. United, Birmingham City, and Plymouth Argyle, but has struggled to achieve success at all four clubs. His capacity to be a manager or head coach has been called into question as a result of those difficult times, but he has stated unequivocally that he hopes to return to the dugout soon.
Rooney began his managerial career at Derby County in 2020, and he was able to maintain the Rams in the Championship in his first season, but he oversaw the club’s relegation to League One due to point deductions in 2022, and he left that summer.
His second employment brought him back to MLS club D.C. United, where he spent two seasons as a player from 2018 to 2019, although he lasted only 15 months in the American capital before leaving by mutual consent in October 2023.
Rooney has since been in charge of Birmingham City and Plymouth, although he has failed to use his tactics and considerable knowledge of the game in either role. He was fired by Blues in January 2024 after winning only twice in 15 games, and Argyle let him go in December with a 20% win rate and the club at the bottom of the Championship table.
Sky Sports presenter and pundit David Prutton thinks that Rooney still has something to give to management, but feels as if he may be better-suited to being a pundit right now after his struggles at Plymouth.
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Prutton said: “The Wayne Rooney (situation) is very, very intriguing indeed.
“Having heard very good things about the way he man-manages players, I’ve yet to meet a player that has played for him as yet that didn’t enjoy himself under him, didn’t enjoy the situation.
“But, rather more bluntly, the results haven’t really reflected that enjoyment from the players, have they? Obviously you get extenuating circumstances with Derby County, at Birmingham City the appointment was seemingly on the back foot, given the outline of what the style of football needed to be, and most recently with Plymouth.
“You get the sense that he is just a man that adores the game, a man that quite simply lives and breathes it. I’ve really enjoyed his punditry, but potentially that door that he has stepped through, or put one foot into, to sit on telly and talk about it, he’s got the gravitas, hasn’t he?
“He’s got the experience and has certainly got the CV and the medals. I’d listen to him sit and do that.
“Whether it transfers into what we see on the pitch with a Wayne Rooney side, I would think it’s fair to say that we haven’t, as yet. Whether there is that ability to knit.
