Wayne Rooney is reportedly wanted by both Sky Sports and TNT Sports as a lead pundit ahead of next season's Premier League campaign - but the former Birmingham City manager is still hoping to make a return to the dug-out.
Rooney was sacked by Blues on New Year's Day after winning just two of his 15 games in charge, having taken over from John Eustace in October with the club then lying in the play-off places. His disastrous tenure was cut short before he was permitted to address the failings in the transfer window, following a comprehensive loss at Leeds United.
Since then, Rooney has remained in the public eye in one way or another; he has appeared as a pundit for Sky and TNT as well as the BBC, who also pencilled him in to appear on Match of the Day before a back injury sustained while on holiday with his family laid him low. Rooney has also signed up to feature on The Overlap podcast with former teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane.
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He has clearly left a lasting impression on the broadcast companies, the Premier League rights holders who share - alongside Amazon Prime - the rights to televise top flight football in the UK, for according to The Sun both major companies wish to recruit him on a more permanent basis ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Heading into punditry in a more concrete arrangement than previously would involve following his former teammates, such as Neville, Keane, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves among others in front of the camera to offer analysis on matches. But Rooney - who'll need a club to take a chance on him after his miserable Blues tenure - remains keen to return to management.
Prior to Blues, Rooney had worked as a coach at DC United in MLS, while he also worked as a player and then as a head coach at Derby County in the Championship in 2021-22.
