Why has Wayne Rooney flopped as a manager? Man Utd legend told what ‘problem’ is as former England team-mate calls for ‘hard reset’ in coaching career

The former England captain cut his coaching teeth at Derby County, but saw a points deduction there ultimately condemn the Rams to relegation out of the Championship. Rooney then returned to D.C. United, but failed to lead them into the MLS play-offs.

A forgettable 83-day stint was spent alongside NFL legend Tom Brady at Birmingham City, before then taking in just 25 games in charge of Plymouth Argyle. Rooney has returned to punditry duty after being forced into another spell away from the dugout.

The 39-year-old has left himself open to offers, with his name being put into plenty of frames across the EFL, but questions continue to be asked of whether he can be a success and how he needs to set about rebuilding his reputation.

When those posers were put to Shaun Wright-Phillips, Rooney’s ex-Three Lions team-mate - who was speaking to GOAL via Lottoland, Football Betting - said: “I think he can definitely be a manager.

“I think Wazza’s problem is how good he was. I haven’t seen him coach properly so I don’t know but I think when you’re that good, sometimes you expect the team you are managing should be able to do certain things that they might not be ready to do just yet. I think he will be a good manager when he gets used to that and gets the hang of it.

“He might need to take a hard reset, step back and watch other managers do stuff and learn a bit differently, but I think he will be fine in terms of managing. And I know he doesn’t give up often, so there will be a chance and if it’s offered again he will definitely be back in with a job.”

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For now, Rooney is enjoying spending more time with his wife Coleen and their four children - with eldest son, Kai, forming part of United’s academy system. There has been talk of the family forming part of a £10 million ($13m) ‘At Home With’ documentary series on Disney+.