By Adefunmiloye Alani

28th Jan, 2022 | 9:30pm

Gary Lineker reacts as Wayne Rooney turns down Everton interview

Gary Lineker has reacted on his personal Twitter account after Wayne Rooney revealed that he turned down a chance to interview for the Everton job.

The Derby County boss was linked with the vacant Toffees position after Rafa Benitez was fired almost two weeks ago, but he is keen to remain with the Championship outfit as they look to pull off a huge miracle and remain in the division after entering into administration.

Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to share Rooney’s comments, and Lineker was impressed, with the Match of the Day host reacting with an emoji of a clapping hand.

Class

Frank Lampard and Vitor Pereira are in a two-horse race for the job, but a lot of Everton fans would have loved to see Rooney return to Goodison Park as manager right now.

While that could be disappointing, it says a lot about who the Toffees academy graduate really is.

He has managed to give Derby a margin of hope after some impressive results, and leaving them in the lurch right now could all but end their chances of retaining their Championship status.

Rooney has made a decision he deems fit for his career, but the Everton job could be his someday in the future.

Many believe things could have been different had he been offered it directly, but Farhad Moshiri and the board would not have been able to do that.

The Toffees chiefs want to know what their next manager wants to bring to the table, and it is why Lampard has been involved in more than one round of talks.

Interim boss Duncan Ferguson was also interviewed today alongside the former Chelsea manager, and an announcement is expected anytime soon.

In other Everton news, the Toffees are plotting January loan-to-buy bid for centre-mid hailed by Jack Grealish last month.

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