Wayne Rooney is set to move to Everton following his retirement from Plymouth, with Celtic among the next five options

Following Wayne Rooney’s departure from Plymouth Argyle via ‘mutual agreement’, here are five possible next steps for the Man Utd legend…

Wayne Rooney Plymouth Argyle benefited from having director of football Neil Dewsnap as a friend as he secured another Championship manager’s job. After last season’s disaster at Birmingham City.

gave Man Utd Icon was somewhat lucky, though. Deserves credit for working the hardest in the Championship. As Plymouth would have been relegation favorites with or without his celebrity in the dugout.

Hajjaj avoided relegation last season and Rooney’s appointment would have been considered a major success if he had been able to get them back in line.

‘Rooney Time’ became a thing as his Plymouth side saved draws and victories at the death this season, but he leaves as a free agent in 2025. Quitting the Championship by ‘mutual agreement’ (which is really just another term for sacking) on ​​New Year’s Eve.

It’s been a long time coming since it was revealed at the start of December that he was ‘fighting to save his job’ and that he’d only won four championships (one away from home) in 23 games this season. No) left after helping the pilgrims.

A 2-0 defeat to fellow relegation candidates Oxford United on Sunday was the final straw as Rooney left Championship bottom Plymouth and four points from safety.

Read: 13 Football Legends Who Became Terrible Managers: Rooney, Maradona, Gerrard…

He is not without his faults as a manager, but he will be able to play another role – if he likes it – because the Championship His employment with the strugglers of that Birmingham shook because if he guided Plymouth’s limited squad to stay alive, they would have pulled down huge trees.

Rooney showed his great willingness to struggle in football management when he accepted the risky job at Plymouth and that commitment doesn’t stop him from having another crack at it. So here are the next five possible options for the 39-year-old…

Wrexham
A step down in level – perhaps needed post-Birmingham – could be in Rooney’s immediate future following his departure from Plymouth. If so, there is no better fit for Rooney in League One than Wrexham.

Rooney’s past association with MLS makes him a recognizable figure in the ‘soccer’ world to appeal to Wrexham’s Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Second-placed Wrexham are in contention for a third successive promotion, but It still feels as though long-serving manager Phil Parkinson is at risk of losing his job within the next year.

Parkinson’s managerial success has come in League One and League Two. Few managers are better equipped than the 57-year-old at this level of the English footballing pyramid, but his practical style of play is not matched by the glamor of the Welsh club. They will certainly look to move into their next phase with a young coach and an exciting possession-based approach.

There are many better candidates than Rooney at this stage, but the prospect of being a head coach instantly recognizable to their far-reaching audience may be tempting for Reynolds and McElhaney to overlook. is

Read: Wayne Rooney is a celebrity; He doesn’t need this Plymouth hell.

Salford City
If all else fails, Ronnie can lean on his class of ’92 friends to get him back on the management ladder…

Salford City are threatening to overcome them. The status quo In their sixth straight His impressive form as season went on in the fourth tier left him on the brink of the play-off places after going through four managers in quick succession at that level and being promoted by Wrexham.

After last season’s relegation scrap, Salford moved into the promotion picture under Carl Robinson after a slow start, but they will soon be under pressure if there is another dip as Gary Neville and co. Has ambitions beyond League Two.

The class of ’92 will be aware of the risk that comes with appointing a manager like Rooney, but they have failed in almost every other way and the prospect of Rooney at Salford feels like the most likely move on the list. .

Celtic
“Celtic has always been a team I’ve followed and always wanted to win. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance (to play for Celtic), I’d like to try to play for Celtic at some point. “

Rooney has a soft spot for Celtic and the idea of ​​him taking over the Scottish giants at some point is not out of the realm of possibility.

Admittedly, his stock at Plymouth hasn’t risen enough to warrant giving him the Celtic hot sea, but the caliber of CV required for a manager to land the Celtic job isn’t what it used to be. And the fact that his name is ‘Wayne Rooney’. ‘ will stand him in good stead.

Alternatively, a move to replicate past moves by Sir Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen is another possibility as their surprise push for the title is premature after a poor run of results under manager Jimmy Thielen. It has ended.

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Everton
Ahead of their stadium move and potential takeover, Everton’s sole aim for the 2024/25 campaign is to secure Premier League survival.

As Dyche has proven before, he has the ability to get struggling teams on the safety line and Everton could benefit from the overall lack of quality among their fellow Premier League strugglers. Including new relegation candidates Man Utd.

Nevertheless, with or without survival, it seems certain that Dyche will lose his job in 2025 and Everton’s new owners will go for a fan-pleasing meeting to boost morale.

Rooney’s return to his boyhood club as the manager feels too far away, but he may try the assistant manager gig. If David Moyes completes his ‘sensational return’ to Everton.

Read: Another consistently dire season for Everton is about to get even worse.

Punditary (knocking the administrative game on the head)
Rooney has nothing left to prove in football and certainly doesn’t need management headaches.

That’s why he deserves a lot of credit for insisting on a career in management, especially considering how tough it has been with the testing jobs he’s taken.

Rooney has yet to show that he is good at this managerial game and no one can fault him if he decides to. That is enough for his journey.

This is a possible move. Even more impressive when you consider how well he fared as a pundit after Birmingham.

Although punditry is rightly considered an easier undertaking for retired footballers than management, it is still an incredibly difficult art to master and one that would make a fool of a man. So worth it.

From what we’ve seen of Rooney so far, he has more potential as a pundit than as a manager, as his straight-talking and sometimes quick-witted approach has been incredibly refreshing and he’s been the target of various broadcasters. Wasn’t out of place as a face. .

It could be that or a job in League One, so you’d think it wouldn’t be an issue for Rooney.