According to insiders who spoke with 90min, Wayne Rooney will take over as Birmingham City’s new head coach.
The 37-year-old just resigned from his position as D.C. United’s manager after their failure to make the MLS playoffs. After spending two years as a player with D.C. United near the end of his playing career, Rooney decided to move back to the United States in 2022.
Rooney first entered management at Derby County in 2020 as Phillip Cocu’s temporary successor before giving up playing to take the position full-time.
In his first season in command, he was able to guide the Rams to safety in the Championship, but due to financial issues, the club was penalised 12 points in the 2021–2022 season, and they were dropped to League One. Rooney quit shortly after.
According to 90min, Rooney is now joining Birmingham, who fired John Eustace on Monday morning, in the Championship.
“It is essential that the Board of Directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire Football Club,” the Blues stated in a statement.
“A new First Team Manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace.”
With a victory percentage of just 27.5 across his tenures with Derby and D.C. United, Rooney has devoted a large portion of his management career to trying to turn around the fortunes of clubs struggling at the bottom of their respective tables.
He will arrive in Birmingham with the team holding a respectable sixth-place status in the Championship rankings.
