Wayne Rooney says he’d ‘walk’ to Man Utd’s rivals if he was offered assistant manager job
WAYNE ROONEY has revealed he would “walk” to Manchester City to be Pep Guardiola’s assistant.
The Manchester United legend saw his most recent managerial spell end in disaster.
He was sacked by Birmingham at the start of January after just 84 days in charge during a 15-game spell which yielded only two wins.
Rooney‘s previous jobs with DC United and Derby were far from groundbreaking as well, though his relegation with Derby was defined by a fightback against a points deduction.
But the 38-year-old has now admitted he would be desperate to learn from Man City boss Guardiola to improve his craft, citing Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as an example.
Asked whether he would be willing to become an assistant, Rooney, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, said: “It depends [on whether I’d ever be an assistant].
“If Pep Guardiola comes in and asks me to be his assistant, you’d walk there!
“But you see what Arteta is doing now and I strongly believe a lot of that is from learning what Guardiola was doing and so it depends on what the situation is.”
Arteta was appointed City assistant in 2016 before was poached by Arsenal in 2019.
Guardiola, 53, is currently assisted by Carlos Vicens and Juanma Lillo.
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Rooney said he believes City to be the best team in England despite last-season’s treble winners not being top of the table.
Amid links to a sensational career switch into boxing, Rooney declared his focus was still on becoming a manager.
He said: “[On whether he will have a boxing fight] You never know.
“People have been in touch and asked the question, but at the minute I want to focus on getting back into management, not boxing.
“Misfits have been in touch, and that’s been all over the news. My focus is getting back into management.”
Rooney also revealed where he wants to manage next, but admits he is “at the bottom” on the managerial ladder.
He said: “I would 100% [take a job in League One].
“I want to get back into managing and I want to prove myself – whether that’s League Two, League One or Championship.
“It’s all experience – I’m only 38, I’ve had three managerial jobs. I’ve got quite a bit of experience, like with Derby in administration, and going out to the States [to manage D.C. United].
“I’ve got a bit of experience to lean on now, I’m still young in terms of a manager.”
He added: “I’m right at the bottom from a managerial point of view, and I want to work my way up.
“I’m not relying on what I’ve done as a player to get me into places that I shouldn’t be.”
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