Ally McCoist delivers verdict on speculation Everton could replace Rafa Benitez with Wayne Rooney
Ally McCoist and Ray Parlour have both reacted to the suggestions that Wayne Rooney could replace Rafa Benitez as Everton manager.
“There’s a news story knocking about this morning that Wayne Rooney could be making a sensational return to Everton if Rafa is forced out,” Laura Woods said via talkSPORT on Wednesday morning (15 December).
“So Everton majority owner Farhad Moshiri is apparently desperate for the Spaniard to succeed but he and his board know they must have a contingency plan in place and Rooney is on their radar.
“Would that be the right move for Everton to make? It’s a very bold one.”
McCoist: “Ray, can you imagine a dugout with Wayne Rooney and Big Dunc [Duncan Ferguson]? You would run about, wouldn’t you?”
Parlour: “Duncan [is] certainly a big influence on that team. I think most Everton fans would say ‘we’d rather have Duncan back’ as a manager, not as a number two.
“Whether Duncan would want to do that job, I don’t know. Obviously, Rooney has done the best he can at Derby [County] with the resources he’s got. That wouldn’t be a bad fit for me.”
Rooney return?
It would be quite the move to bring Rooney back to Goodison Park for a third spell.
He broke through as a teenager at Everton before returning for one season towards the end of his playing days.
Now, he is currently in charge of Championship strugglers Derby.
He oversaw a final-day survival escape from relegation to League One last season and has done well under difficult conditions this season, but a 21 point deduction for financial reasons sees them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, and a second survival bid looks extremely unlikely.
Rooney would surely be tempted by a move back to Merseyside, but it’s a big risk for the Blues.
Pressure is mounting on Rafa Benitez, but he will hope to get more of his injured stars back before Moshiri thinks about pulling the trigger.
However, Richarlison is now set for a period on the sidelines in a further blow to the Blues boss.
In other Everton news, Sky Sports have shared breaking Wednesday morning news on a major Goodison Park development.
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