Derby County manager Wayne Rooney has recently been linked with a sensational return to Everton, with current Toffees boss Rafa Benitez under fire.
Benitez looks to be clinging on to his job as Everton manager after a difficult season. Fans are growing tiresome of his side’s performances and a certain Everton and Manchester United legend has been linked with a return to the club.
Derby County manager Rooney has been tipped to replace the struggling Spaniard – but what’s the latest on that?
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Reports at the start of this month tipped Rooney for a Premier League role in the future, hinting at Everton.
Soon after it was revealed by Mail Online that Everton were ‘lining up’ Rooney as their new boss amid a really testing time on the pitch for Benitez’s Everton, with separate reports claiming that the Toffees had ‘made contact’ with the Rams boss.
And last week, Rooney would break his silence on the links. He said (via Metro):
“I obviously came up through Everton’s academy and am an Everton fan. I see the reports but I’ve had no communication with Everton.
“As far as I’m aware, they’ve got a manager in place, so for me to discuss anything like that, it’s not my place to do that – and as I’ve said, I’m committed to this club [Derby County].
“I’ve had no conversations with Everton football club regarding the manager’s job so it’s not even something I’m thinking about.”
Since then, nothing else has been reported about Rooney and Everton. Derby County remain in limbo in their search for a new owner but things seem to be moving along at a nice pace, with the club’s administrators hoping to have a preferred bidder named in the coming days.
As for Rooney, he remains professional as ever and will continue to try and get points on the board as his side bids for an unlikely chance of Championship survival this season.
They sit rooted to the foot of the Championship table on four points – 17 points adrift and with the visit of 4th-place West Brom to contend after Boxing Day.
