Wayne Rooney 'eyeing return to management' after disastrous spell at Birmingham

Wayne Rooney is reportedly targeting a return to management after his dismal spell in charge of Birmingham City.

Rooney was confirmed as Birmingham manager back in October after the former England and Manchester United forward left MLS side DC United.

However, it was a disastrous appointment as the Blues fell from sixth place in the Championship to 20th.

Eventually, Rooney was sacked by the club at the start of January after just 15 matches in charge.

Despite his recent setback, it has been reported that Rooney is now looking to get back in the dugout.

According to The Sun, the former England star is interested in reigniting his managerial career in Saudi Arabia.

A source told the publication: “Wayne’s time in charge at Birmingham hasn’t put him off the idea of management. In fact, he believes he learned a lot of skills which he thinks will hold him in good stead in the future.

“Wayne realises he still has a lot to prove, but he believes he has what it takes to be a manager and would love the chance to manage a team in Saudi Arabia.

“He loved his time managing in America and thinks he could transfer a lot of those skills to the Arabian league.”

Getty

It has been claimed that Rooney has been informed that the mega-rich owners in the Middle East could be interested in hiring the 38-year-old.

The source continued: “Having Wayne run a team over there would put more eyeballs on the league and give it a boost. The reputation has taken a bit of a knock since Jordan Henderson quit. Rooney managing there would be a sign that the league is one to be taken seriously.

“Wayne still firmly believes he can prove himself to be a top-class manager and his ambition remains clear - to one day manage in the Premier League. But he knows that won’t happen any time soon.”

If Rooney is to move to Saudi Arabia, he would follow in the footsteps of former England teammate Steven Gerrard, who is currently the manager of Saudi Professional League side Al Ettifaq.