Wayne Rooney has had a bright start to his managerial career, and coaching Man United is his ultimate goal.

In the 2007–2008 season, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo teamed up to form a premier pairing for Manchester United.

Ronaldo earned his first Ballon d’Or at the conclusion of that season after the two combined for 60 goals and 22 assists, but the Portuguese star wouldn’t stay at Old Trafford for long, moving on to Real Madrid a year later.

The paths that Rooney and Ronaldo ultimately took couldn’t have been more dissimilar; while one player retired from playing in 2021, the other is still competing in Saudi Arabia at the age of 38.

Rooney is eight months younger than Ronaldo, but the younger player has already made the transition to management. The 37-year-old, who is currently D.C. United’s manager, moved to America following a nearly two-year stint with Derby County.

After leaving United in 2017, Rooney played for Everton, D.C. United, and Derby before taking over as player-manager of the Rams in December 2020, when the team was struggling financially and at the bottom of the Championship standings.

Rooney was praised for taking on such a job and inspiring a team that appeared doomed to the bottom before he took charge. Ultimately, Derby narrowly avoided relegation.

He had to put out flames at Pride Park the next season in 2021/22 since Derby had gone into receivership. In the end, the punishment was too severe to handle because the club had been docked 21 points.

Rooney gained admirers despite bringing the team down that year since his squad came in only seven points shy of securing safety and would have easily remained in the division had it not been for the hefty deduction.

A sad day, I say. After Derby’s relegation was announced, Rooney remarked, “I’m sorry, disappointed, upset, frustrated, but proud. “I believe that a lot of work has gone into the effort the guys and the staff have made to try to inspire the team and the club.

“I’ve been in football for a very long time, both as a player and now as a manager, and I’ve never seen such reaction when a club is relegated. The fans are aware of everyone’s goals, therefore the situation is strange.

That July, Rooney announced his resignation as manager and consented to relocate to the United States to coach his old team, D.C. United. Although the American team struggled under his management in his first season, they have performed better this year.

“I just believe the effort we’ve put out over the past several months, and every player is aware of their responsibilities as soon as they join the squad. Rooney praised the team’s progress in May, saying, “We’re incredibly organized and difficult to beat.

“I believe that is shown in our performances, and we have been unfortunate not to walk away from the previous two games with three points in both of them. So while that’s a little discouraging, I’m happy with the performances and the way things are going. And we are aware that if we continue to play as we are, we will gain a lot more points.

The MLS season still has seven games left, but sources on Thursday indicated that Rooney is now being considered by Birmingham City, who just faced a takeover from aspirational American owners.

Rooney responded to a question from The Athletic in July about moving back to England and Everton’s interest by saying, “You’re always tempted.” “I adore this club and want it to succeed. When you consider it, you look at it… When would be the best time to do that?

What happens if you enter the situation and don’t make the influence you believe you can? On the other hand, what would happen if you invested heavily in the club? Over the past year or so, I’ve felt that the moment wasn’t right.

But if anything similar arises in the future, what I’ve created at Derby and DC United is a development to aid in my decision-making. Changes must be made in order to try to return that team to its potential as the stadium approaches.

Rooney has frequently been linked to the Everton opening when it has been available, but he claimed last year that managing Manchester United was the “only reason” he entered the field of management. He promised to “make that happen” in the future.

Rooney’s desire might someday come true if he keeps improving as a manager. Erik ten Hag is presently in charge at Old Trafford, and there are no signs that his rule will end very soon.

It would take a lot of guts to wager against the intensely motivated Rooney failing to fulfill his goals.