Former Everton and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney made a pretty bold prediction about the two clubs in 2022, and it’s not aged particularly well.
The international break is drawing to a close, and Everton have several players returning to Finch Farm this week.
Where will Everton finish this season?
David Moyes will be preparing his side for the trip to Manchester United on Monday night, and he could make some interesting changes.
Seamus Coleman hasn’t started a league game this season, but has put himself right in the mix to start after his exceptional performances for Ireland.
Moyes has demanded more from his full-backs, with Jake O’Brien not providing a great threat going forward.
Anyhow, with all that said, ahead of Everton’s trip to Old Trafford, we’ve looked back at what Wayne Rooney predicted about the two clubs a few years ago.
Wyane Rooney as a BBC Sport pundit.
Photo by Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Wayne Rooney predicted himself to manage Everton or Man United in 2022
Back in 2022, Rooney’s stock as a manager was pretty high after impressing at Derby County in difficult circumstances.
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Off the back of that job, the former Toffees star became the DC United manager and continued to learn his trade in the MLS.
Rooney spoke to CNN in November of that year and actually made the prediction that he’d manage Everton or Man United one day.
“Obviously, Everton and Manchester United are the two clubs who are really close to my heart so to manage one of the two would be a dream,” Rooney explained.
“I’m still gaining a lot of experience from what I’m doing. You want to learn, and I want to go into Everton or Manchester United, I want to go in there and be able to give the best version of me.
“I’d be naive to say ‘I’m going to go and manage Manchester United in the next year or so’. For me, it’s about putting the work in and developing myself and if I do that and I do it in the right way, then I feel these jobs, these opportunities will come to me eventually.”
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Wayne Rooney’s managerial career has plummeted since then
Since making those comments, Rooney has been sacked twice by Birmingham City and most recently Plymouth Argyle.
He’s been out of work since leaving the Devon-based club last December and his next opportunity will more than likely come in League One or lower, so his prediction has aged terribly.
Simon Jordan gave a brutal assessment of Rooney’s ability as a manager, speaking on talkSPORT earlier this year.
“There’s nothing about Wayne Rooney’s managerial career that tells me he can manage,” Jordan explained.
“With all due respect to the fact he was a wonderful footballer, as a manager, I wouldn’t touch him with you or someone else pushing.
“The fact of the matter is, I look at it and work out what he’s done as a manager and say, ‘Well, what have you done?'”
Rooney was linked with non-league side Macclesfield back in June before his brother John got the job.