Wayne Rooney will go down in history as one of England’s greatest footballers, but his managerial record isn’t as impressive as it was as a player.

The 40-year-old was thrown into his first managerial role while still playing, taking over a struggling Derby County while still playing in the Championship in late 2020.

The Rams were near the bottom under Philip Cocu, and Rooney secured survival on the penultimate day of the 2020/21 season, after an opening few months that had some believing he could produce a mid-table finish.

In the end, his time at Pride Park and Derby’s inadequacies were not held against him too harshly, as the Rams were in the midst of a financial crisis, having been fined 21 points during the 2021/22 season and suffering relegation, with the club under administration.

As a result, when Rooney left from his first post in the summer of 2022, there was still hope that the former five-time Premier League winner would become one of the next prominent young managers.

Unfortunately, his stint with DC United, where he failed to qualify for the MLS play-offs in both seasons, as well as his return to the Championship with Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle, have put an end to any desire for him to manage again.

Wayne Rooney tells out about his biggest dugout regret and why he has no aspirations to return to management soon.

Given the dismal stints he supervised at Birmingham and Plymouth, it seems unlikely that many fans would welcome Rooney as their new manager. While he wasn’t in the dugout when their separate relegations to League One were announced, his stint at both clubs played a significant role in their decline.

However, both the fans and the man share this sentiment. Indeed, Rooney revealed in a Q&A on the BBC website that he does not see himself returning to management anytime soon.

The 40-year-old revealed his biggest management regret: taking the Birmingham job in October 2023. The Blues were in the top six when former manager John Eustace was fired, thus the then-new Knighthead ownership made a highly contentious choice.

Replacing Eustace with Rooney at the time raised many eyebrows and may have put too much pressure on England’s icon to succeed.

“I believe you constantly have regrets and reflect on what you’ve done. “I’ve managed four teams,” Rooney stated.My biggest regret was the Birmingham job because of the time when I took over from John Eustace. That was probably my biggest regret.”Will I return to management? Probably not. Of course, I will never close the door, but given my current state of mind, I am unlikely to do so.”

The Blues won only two of Rooney’s 15 games in command, and he was fired after the club finished 20th, 14 places lower than when he took over less than three months ago.

His time at Birmingham is undoubtedly one of the worst single managing stints in Championship history, given the enormity of the slide in form, therefore it’s unsurprising that he considers it his worst regret.

Wayne Rooney is establishing a thriving career after management.

Since being fired from his final management post at Plymouth on New Year’s Eve 2024, Rooney has begun to establish himself as a pundit in the last 18 months.

The 40-year-old is a regular on BBC Sport, whether it’s through podcasts, Match of the Day commentary, or live coverage of World Cup matches this summer. He also appears frequently on Overlap, where he participates in arguments with other former football legends.

Rooney has received appreciation from both fellow experts and fans, despite the fact that his punditry career is still in its early stages. He seems to be having better luck with that than he did as a manager.

With an overall win rate of just more than 25%, it’s unsurprising that he hasn’t been connected with a return to the dugout this season, given his track record isn’t particularly compelling.

And with his time in front of the cameras bringing him more success, he’ll be hoping that it won’t be long before he’s known for his post-retirement accomplishments rather than the disastrous runs he oversaw in the dugout during the Championship.