Sky Sports journalist Vinny O’Connor has been speaking about Wayne Rooney and the possibility of him becoming manager at Everton.
Following the departure of Rafael Benitez last week, the Toffees are without a permanent manager in the dugout for the foreseeable future, with former player Duncan Ferguson taking on the role of caretaker manager whilst the club find the Spaniard’s permanent successor.
One name that has emerged has been that of Rooney, who played for Everton over two spells during his career, racking up a total of 118 appearances for the Toffees either side of his spell at Manchester United.
Rooney is currently in charge at Derby County in the Championship, where he is helping them fight off relegation despite being docked a total of 21 points by the EFL.
Speaking on Sky Sports News’ Good Morning Transfers, O’Connor claimed that whilst Rooney would be interested in taking on the role, it might not be all that straightforward when it comes to the Toffees making an approach for him.
He said: “It’s a bit more complicated when it comes to Wayne Rooney, of course, because Everton would have to ask Derby County for permission to speak to him.
“We also know, certainly understand that Wayne Rooney would be interested in the job at Everton. It certainly would be a difficult one to turn down for him given his ties with the football club as well.”
TIF Thoughts on Vinny O’Connor’s comments about Wayne Rooney and Everton…
Who would you rather at Everton?
Wayne Rooney
Frank Lampard
Given reports of links between the club and Rooney in recent days, the fact he is in the running for the job may not be a surprise – though claims relating to his interest in jumping ship to help his boyhood club could be seen as a significant development.
An appointment like Rooney would certainly be a risky one for Everton to make – especially when you consider they could very easily be dragged into a relegation battle sitting just six points above the drop.
Whilst he has done an impressive job making Derby somewhat competitive, with the Rams eight points away from safety despite their points deduction and transfer restrictions, he is still a relative novice when it comes to management, having only been named permanent manager at Pride Park in January last year.
And given how ambitious Everton have shown themselves to be with how much they have spent on transfers, it seems odd that they would be willing to give control of the team to someone who is still pretty new to management rather than someone with more experience, particularly when it comes to relegation battles.
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