Former Manchester United and Leicester City defender Danny Simpson has spoken about Wayne Rooney's managerial credentials and identified a role he can see him working in
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney's management career did not get off to a flying start(Image: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Wayne Rooney has been told his chances of becoming Manchester United manager are dead. But former team-mate Danny Simpson believes he is the perfect candidate to help the club's young strikers.
Rooney, 39, left Old Trafford in 2017 as the club's record goalscorer after spending more than a decade cementing himself as one of United's best ever. After spells at Everton and Derby, the former striker embarked on a coaching career.
The England legend started out with the Rams before moving on to DC United, Birmingham, and Plymouth Argyle. Rooney has yet to find as much success as a coach as he did as a player.
The five-time Premier League champion has been out of work since being sacked by Argyle at the end of last year. Rooney has instead become a prominent face in punditry and has a podcast.
While Simpson does not believe Rooney's trajectory will take him to the Old Trafford hotseat, he does believe his stint in management has not received the credit it deserves. The former Leicester defender reckons there would be nobody better suited to working with United's academy prospects.
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"When you look at it like that, I think so," Simpson told GOAL, speaking in association with sports betting in Canada. "You could never say that these players can’t have a role or a place at a club where they have done so much and do care about the club.
"I know it’s difficult because they are in the media and being honest, but that’s part of the game. He has to be honest - he can’t protect United, he can’t protect the players, he’s got to be honest and say what he sees.
"Why wouldn’t you, as a striker, want Wayne Rooney coming in. Imagine [Benjamin] Sesko and he’s got Wayne Rooney helping him. It’s not a bad shout.
Daniel Simpson and Wayne Rooney
Daniel Simpson and Wayne Rooney were Manchester United team-mates(Image: ben radford/Corbis via Getty Images)
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"As a manager? Yeah, I think that’s died. The roles that he took were so difficult and he doesn’t get the credit for that, taking teams at difficult moments.
"The Birmingham one, they were flying, everyone was happy, so he upset the apple cart by going in as manager. But some of the other clubs that he took, they were in difficult moments.
"I would love to see Wayne Rooney back at United helping the young lads. If it was me and I was a striker and he came in to help me, you would be annoying him with questions all the time - what do you do in this position, what do you do in this position? That would be something I would like to see."
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