Jan 5, 2026, 08:13 AM
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Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has provided a ringing endorsement of Chelsea's expected next boss Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior, who worked as Rooney's assistant manager in his time at Derby County, is in London and set to be named Chelsea's new head coach after Enzo Maresca's exit from the club, sources told ESPN.
His first taste of management was succeeding Rooney as Derby's interim head coach in 2022, then a two-year spell at Hull City before he joined Ligue 1 club Strasbourg in 2024.
"Liam was so important for me. He was incredible in his coaching ability. I was more of the manager and dealing with players and everything," Rooney said on his BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney show.
Wayne Rooney (left) and Liam Rosenior during their time at Derby County. Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images
"His detail, how he approaches the day-to-day, he's as good as I've worked with."
"So I learned a lot from him from that point of view and then I think he's done a great job as a whole."
After Maresca's sour end to life at Stamford Bridge, problems between the Italian manager and Chelsea's unique setup of five sporting directors began to emerge, but Rooney has backed Rosenior to hold his own at Chelsea.
"He's also got a side which you don't want to cross him as well," he said.
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"That's important as well. If he goes in there, he won't disappoint. He's been waiting for an opportunity like this.
"If you don't take it now, then you're never going to take it. And I think he's done his apprenticeship, he's done his work to try and get to that job.
"So he'll have no doubts in his mind that he's capable of doing that job. And hopefully, very soon, hopefully we hear that he is the manager, because for young English coaches I think it's massive.
"We don't really see English managers at big clubs. So he'd be leading the way for for us."