Declan Walsh

Sun 16 January 2022 16:10, UK

Wayne Rooney does not appear to be in the running to be the next Everton manager with Rafa Benitez sacked on Sunday, according to Ben Grounds.

Writing via his personal Twitter account on Sunday morning, the Sky Sports journalist reported that he’s not sure Rooney would consider taking the job at Goodison Park, even though Derby look set to be relegated to League One.

Rooney’s overseen a remarkable run of form that has seen cash-strapped Derby move off the bottom of the Championship but Grounds fails to see the appeal of a return to Goodison for the ex-England star.

“Such is the festering state of the club, I’m not sure Wayne Rooney takes that job now,” said Grounds via his Twitter account.

“He has the Frank Lampard to Chelsea as an identical cautionary tale and the Everton job won’t be going away anytime soon if he keeps working wonders at Derby.

“Off the foot of the table now.”

Rooney the right man?

Benitez hasn’t even been officially sacked yet but two names are on the lips of Evertonians and the wider public: Wayne Rooney and Duncan Ferguson.

Both are former Toffees players who were truly unforgettable at Goodison Park.

Both have the club close to their hearts and both of them have coaching experience.

Of course, Ferguson has way more experience in coaching than Rooney but the Derby manager has way more experience of being in charge of a first-team club.

It’s a tough one if we had to choose who we prefer but it’s safe to say that if Ferguson is overlooked again, he may empty his locker at Finch Farm and walk.

Ferguson deserves the job, in all honesty.

He was superb while in interim charge of the club in 2019 and is clearly having a sizeable impact behind the scenes to be still in work there.

In other Everton news, Jim White says it’s all going off after major transfer news at Goodison this week.

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