Rooney names the only job that would lure him back into football management

Wayne Rooney has revealed that a role in Michael Carrick’s coaching setup at Manchester United is the one position that could draw him back into football management, telling BBC Sport the opportunity would be a ‘no-brainer’.

Rooney, 40, has been out of the game since leaving Plymouth Argyle in 2024 and has admitted he is unlikely to return to management in the near term. Asked directly whether he would come back to the touchline, he replied: ‘Probably not. Of course, I’ve never closed doors and never say never, but at the moment — where I am now, where my head space is — I wouldn’t.’

However, the former England captain made clear that United represents a unique exception. ‘Of course I would. It’s a no-brainer,’ he said when asked whether he would join Carrick at Old Trafford. ‘I’m not begging a job here by the way. Just so everyone knows, if I was asked to go in of course I would.’

Rooney spent 13 years at United, winning 16 major trophies and playing alongside Carrick throughout much of that period. He argued that the club’s next chapter requires figures who understand its culture. ‘Whether it’s Michael, Fletch [Darren Fletcher], John O’Shea or myself, it needs people who know the football club,’ he said. ‘The club has lost its identity, it’s lost that family feel. This is an opportunity to bring that back, bring the spirit of Manchester United back.’

His managerial record, however, has been a source of personal reflection. Rooney moved into management after retiring as a player in 2021, starting as player-manager at Derby County before taking full-time roles at Birmingham City, DC United and Plymouth Argyle. He lifted no silverware at any club and oversaw Derby’s relegation to League One in 2022, though he drew praise for stabilising the club during a period of severe financial turmoil.

The Birmingham City appointment stands out as his sharpest regret. ‘I think the biggest regret I have is the Birmingham City job, in terms of the timing of when I took over from John Eustace,’ he said.

Carrick was confirmed as Manchester United’s permanent manager earlier this year, with his backroom staff subsequently announced.