'Gutted' Wayne Rooney explains why he missed out on Match of the Day debut and eagerly awaits future appearance

Rooney, 38, has explained that he was in line to make his debut as a pundit on the show on Saturday evening but had to postpone his appearance after picking up a bad back injury while on holiday with his family. The former England international wished Gary Lineker and the rest of the team well for the episode and also claimed he would like to reschedule in the future.

"Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little," Rooney wrote on social media. "Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future. Good luck to @GaryLineker and the guys for tonights show and see you soon."

Rooney has been out of the managerial hot-seat since parting ways with Birmingham back in January. The former DC United and Derby County boss is yet to make his return to the dugout but has outlined how he wants to position himself for a 'big' role in the future, so will choose his next job carefully.

"Managing Manchester United or Everton is the aim, these big jobs are where you want to get to," Rooney said. "But it's a process I have got to go through the steps and get myself back on track. I want to get myself back into management to make sure in the next 10 years I'm hopefully in a position to go into one of the big jobs."

The former striker will now take time away from his work as a pundit in order to focus on recovering from the back injury that kept him out of appearing on Match of the Day. Rooney has also appeared on TNT Sports to work as a pundit since leaving his role at St Andrew's, as he looks to provide insight from his extensive and illustrious career as a player.