Wayne Rooney did not have to take the D.C. United job.
After a season and a half in charge of Derby County, Rooney had established himself as a promising coaching prospect, which, coupled with his legendary status as a player, opened the door to a potential top-tier job in England.
In fact, Rooney turned down the chance to interview for the managerial role at his boyhood club Everton last season, citing his loyalty to Derby.
Having left Derby after its relegation – the product of a 21-point penalty that was not Rooney’s fault – it appeared the 36-year-old would be able to sit back and wait for a major job to open up.
And Rooney himself was planning on sitting back, but when D.C. called he felt the opportunity was too tempting to turn down.
“There’s a few clubs who got in touch … but my plan really was to take a rest in football for a while,” Rooney told Pro Soccer Wire.
“Then my agent called me and said D.C. had been in touch, and I just felt it was the right time in my managerial career to come back here and to challenge myself.
“It’s a competitive league, tough league to play in. I’m sure I’ll find out it’s a tough league to manage in. And so in terms of my own development as a coach and a manager, I felt it was the right time to come in and challenge myself.”
Rooney outlines plans to improve United
United’s most recent match was a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Union, a match Rooney watched with keen interest.
“Watching the last few games live, the organization has to be better from the players,” Rooney said. “It’ll take a lot of work obviously to [get everyone] on the same page, but I’m sure the players once they get used to how I want to play, they’ll really benefit.”
“You can’t just go and press and play with no structure,” Rooney added. “So you need to obviously have a structure to how you want to press. And of course, that’s what I hope to have here as well. But also becoming more comfortable on the ball and in possession, which I think the team needs as well. So we just have to be organized.”
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