Wayne Rooney was seen as a leading candidate to replace Benitez at Goodison Park, but he will remain at Derby.
What did Wayne Rooney say?
The 36-year-old English manager turned down the opportunity to return to his Everton roots, with the current Derby boss revealing he turned down an offer of a management interview with the Toffees. Benitez’s successor is being sought at Goodison Park after the former Liverpool manager was relieved of his duties on 16 January. Wayne Rooney was immediately condemned as a leading candidate to take the reins on Merseyside, but the former England captain says he is fully committed to his role with the Rams.
Wayne Rooney told reporters when asked if he was contacted by the Toffees that Everton approached his agent and asked him to interview him for the job. But according to Wayne Rooney, he refused. Rooney believes he will be the manager of the PL and is ready for it 100 per cent. but Wayne has a job at Derby, which is important to him.
A bit about Wayne Rooney
The Croxteth native graduated from the Everton academic system to make a terrific impact at the senior level as a teenager. With a memorable effort against the Gunners, he opened his PL tally, with 17 efforts recorded across 77 appearances in the first spell at Goodison Park. Wayne left for Man Utd in 2004 and spent 13 record years at Old Trafford, becoming Manchester United’s top scorer and winner of PL medals and Champions League winners.
Wayne Rooney returned to Everton in 2017 but only lasted one season before moving to MLS and being linked with D.C. United. Steps were returned to England on a move to Derby as player-manager in 2019, with an appointment as the club’s full-time manager in January 2021.
Wayne Rooney has experienced a baptism of fire in professional management, with the Rams on a 21-point deduction this season as the club’s very existence hangs in the balance, but its stock has skyrocketed while everyone has gone through testing time and turned out positive on the pitch.