Rooney to return to D.C. United in coaching role
Wayne Rooney spent two seasons with D.C. United as a player and he is set to return to coach the first team, taking over from Chad Ashton.
D.C. United will appoint Wayne Rooney as their new head coach, according to reports. Rooney left Championship club Derby County in June, having overseen a difficult period for the club during his first job as a manager. Having kept Derby up on the final day of the 2020-21 campaign, Rooney was unable to repeat that feat in the 2021-22 season, in large part due to a 21-point penalty for financial mismanagement by their ownership.
He was the subject of interest from his old club Everton in January, but declined the opportunity to be interviewed for a role which was subsequently filled by Frank Lampard. Rooney is now set to take over at Major League Soccer side D.C. where he played in 2018 and 2019 before returning to England to join Derby.
Agreement in place
The Athletic’s Pablo Iglesias Maurer reported on Sunday that terms between D.C. and Rooney – England and Manchester United’s record goalscorer – have been agreed.
Rooney scored 25 goals in all competitions for D.C. after joining from Everton in 2018. He will replace interim coach Chad Ashton, who last weekend apologised for an “embarrassing” 7-0 defeat to the Philadelphia Union. Ashton has been in charge of D.C. since April following Hernán Losada’s departure. They sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with just five wins from 17 games in 2022.