Wayne Rooney regrets his coaching career and doesn't see himself as a head coach

Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has said that he has regrets about his coaching career and does not see himself returning to coaching. Rooney was appointed head coach of Derby County in January 2021 following a successful interim appointment, however his time at Pride Park was overshadowed by the team's financial problems and he left the club in June 2022 following relegation to League One.

Rooney then spent 15 months as head coach of DC United in the US and then briefly took charge of Birmingham City, where he was sacked after just 83 days on the job after nine defeats in 15 matches. Rooney left his position at his last club, Plymouth Argyle, by mutual consent after the team managed just four wins and 13 defeats from 23 Championship games in the 2024-25 season. Like Birmingham, Plymouth were also relegated to League One.

In an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit with BBC Sport, Rooney said: "I think everyone has regrets and I reflect on what I've done. My biggest regret at Birmingham was when I took over from John Eustace." Rooney's appointment to Birmingham was the first decision of the club's new American owners, who took over in July 2023 and parted ways with Eustace three months later. Eustace led the team to sixth place in the Championship table, but under Rooney the team dropped to 20th place before his dismissal.

After leaving St Andrew's, Rooney said it would take him "some time to cope" with his departure, but he announced his intention to "prepare for the next opportunity in my coaching journey" by spending time with his family. More than two-and-a-half years later, however, Rooney, 40, says he doesn't see himself accepting another coaching offer. Asked about a possible return, Rooney said: “Probably not. Of course, I never close doors and I never say never, but at the moment - in the state that I am in now, I would not.” In January this year, Rooney said it would be "obvious" to return to Manchester United as a manager if he were offered to become part of manager Michael Carrick's staff at Old Trafford. Rooney is currently part of the BBC's analyst team for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.