Former Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has been targeted for a new role just months after leaving Championship side Plymouth Argyle.
Rooney is currently without a job after he was dismissed as manager of the Pilgrims in late-2024 and has been recommended as the potential new manager of National League North new-boys Macclesfield, with current boss Robbie Savage tipped to move on to a new role in the National League.
The move would certainly see Rooney make a significant drop down the divisions, but could be the move he needs to try and earn success as a manager after a difficult run of clubs within the EFL.
Manchester United legend linked with managerial switch
As reported exclusively by journalist Alan Nixon, former Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has been recommend to replace Robbie Savage as manager of sixth-tier side Macclesfield.
The 39-year-old was last involved in a managerial role with now-League One side Plymouth Argyle, winning just five of his 25 matches in charge of the Pilgrims and was dismissed as manager after experiencing a winless run of nine league games.
This run included heavy defeats against Norwich City, Bristol City and Coventry City, leaving the club rock bottom of the Championship standings heading into 2025.
Rooney’s EFL woes
Rooney’s first taste of EFL management was with Derby County, briefly overseeing 11 matches as caretaker boss before taking the role permanently. Across his almost two-year managerial stint with the Rams, Rooney won 25 of his 84 games, averaging 1.16 points per game in what was an extremely challenging time for the club financially.
After Derby County were relegated from the Championship in May 2022, Rooney left the club to return to the MLS with DC United, before returning to England in October 2023 with League One champions Birmingham City.
During his stint at St. Andrews, Rooney was immediately thrown into the deep-end following the shock dismissal of John Eustace and won just two of his 15 matches in charge of the club and was sacked just three months later.
This form matched with a torrid end of season run saw the club relegated to League One. With Birmingham, Rooney seemed to be ‘set up to fail’ given the sheer pressure he was placed within because of the nature behind his appointment to the role to begin with.
Meanwhile, in May 2024, Rooney was back in the EFL hot-seat once again – this time linking up with Plymouth Argyle. However, despite showing early promise in the Championship, results very quickly dwindled with injuries also not helping and he was dismissed in December 2024, leaving the Pilgrims rock bottom of the table.
Could Macclesfield be the making of Rooney as a manager?
Macclesfield are back in the National League system for the first time since being reformed, after winning their seventh tier title last season and taking their deserving spot back in the National League North.
Savage is the manager of Macclesfield currently and was the co-founder of the current side, but according to journalist Pete O’Rourke (and now Alan Nixon), he is set to become the new manager of National League play-off semi-finalists Forest Green Rovers.
As for Macclesfield, they are a club firmly on the up and despite the club attracting a good core fanbase as it is, it isn’t quite the levels that Rooney would have experienced in the EFL – which could actually work in his favour.
This is because he can be smart with his contacts, recruit players who have a bigger eye on playing rather than the finances and let the smaller crowds (by his standards) give him the confidence booster he needs in order to kick start his managerial career.
Playing devil’s advocate, Rooney will be even more exposed at Macclesfield because the club itself haven’t got the eye-catching scouting networks or the plethora of top young talent, meaning this role would be something he has never experienced before.
