Is Wayne Rooney unhappy with his BBC pundit role? Three Lions legend says he ‘hasn’t had any of the England games’ and ‘games I’ve done haven’t been the greatest’, as he heads home
Wayne Rooney has revealed he is unhappy with his role as a BBC reporter after leaving Euro 2024 without covering an England match.
The Three Lions legend confirmed live on air that he is leaving his pundit role and returning to Britain ahead of his next challenge in football management.
In his last match with the broadcasters, he analyzed Belgium’s goalless draw against Ukraine on Wednesday and has now lifted the lid on his experience in Germany.
Speaking about the Football daily podcast, Rooney reflected on his time at the BBC and said: ‘Yes, it was okay. It’s clearly different and new than what I’m used to.
“I’ve done TV in the past, but [I’ve] I spent quite a bit of time here, so yes, it was a little different, but I enjoyed it.
Wayne Rooney has hinted he was unhappy with his role as BBC pundit at Euro 2024
The Three Lions legend was disappointed not to be able to cover a single England match
“Unfortunately I haven’t really been able to talk about the England games and the ones I’ve played haven’t been the best, but it’s nice to spend some time here.”
Two of England’s three group stage matches were selected by the BBC, but Rooney was not chosen as a pundit for any of these occasions.
Instead, for England’s opening match against Serbia, the BBC selected Gary Lineker, Cesc Fabregas, Rio Ferdinand and Micah Richards as their expert team.
For the next match against Denmark, Lineker was joined by Ferdinand, Richards and Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
The BBC’s coverage and analysis of England has caused a stir in recent weeks, with a number of first-team players pushing back on comments made by BBC presenter Lineker.
Rooney also reflected on that situation, saying: “Obviously I’ve been involved in a lot of the tournaments over the last twenty years as a player and now I’m on the other side looking at it from the experts’ perspective .
‘We’ve seen it back and forth between the England camp and the experts, so it’s a bit strange. But I think everything that has been said is correct and the players and the manager have come out and said all the same things.
“So it’s a little strange. You always want to try to be careful, but you also want to be honest with the words you say.”
Rooney now returns to England to take up his new role as manager of Plymouth Argyle ahead of friendlies against Orlando Pirates, Cheltenham, Torquay United, Bristol Rovers and MK Dons in the coming weeks.
“I’m flying home tomorrow, the boys are coming back on July 3, so I’m home and straight to Plymouth,” he said.
Rooney was on hand to provide expertise for matches such as Belgium’s goalless draw against Romania
The BBC broadcast England’s first two matches at Euro 2024, but Rooney was no expert
The Three Lions will take on Slovakia on Sunday afternoon in their last 16 matches at Euro 2024
Plymouth heard their pre-season fixtures earlier on Wednesday and Rooney added: “The excitement was there today when you see the games.
“You’re going through the opening games, your Christmas schedule and all that, so yeah, really excited.”
Rooney appears determined to get things right at Plymouth after a disastrous three-month spell at Birmingham City last season.
He was brought in to replace John Eustace despite the Blues making a positive start to the season, but won just two of his 15 games in charge as Birmingham plummeted from sixth to 20th in the Championship.
Rooney, 38, was sacked in January and Birmingham’s fortunes did not improve as they were relegated to League One four months later.
The Three Lions legend will return to England with new club Plymouth ahead of pre-season
Having managed Derby County in the past, Rooney has now been given another chance in England’s second tier to prove he can be a success on the sidelines.
Plymouth avoided relegation by just one point last season, and Rooney will hope they are not dragged into another battle at the foot of the table in 2024-25.
Rumor has it he is moving with his wife Coleen to Salcombe in Devon, a chic seaside town where a pint costs £7 and fish and chips £22.
He now has a few days to get back to work in England, having spent the past two weeks working for the BBC in Germany, before attention turns to pre-season.