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DC United manager Wayne Rooney says boyhood club Everton never called him up to become manager before hiring Sean Dyche in a bid to save the team from its first Premier League relegation.
DC United manager Wayne Rooney has said he was never approached by his former team Everton regarding his managerial role before hiring Sean Dyche.
Rooney joined Everton’s youth academy at age nine and signed a professional contract with the team at 16.
He played two seasons for the first team before moving to Manchester United, where he rose to stardom before returning to Everton in 2017 for a brief spell.
“It’s the club that I grew up supporting and loving,” he said, according to The Washington Post. They are going through a very difficult time in the club’s history and they felt they had to change.
Wayne Rooney has said that Everton did not approach him about accepting his managerial job.
Sean Dyche recently signed a two and a half year contract to take charge of the struggling squad.
Rooney once shone at Everton before and after living out his best years at Manchester United.
‘Sean Dyche has a lot of experience. He was always going to be an experienced manager.
Dyche was sacked by Burnley last spring after a 10-year spell and has just signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Everton in the hope that the club will avoid relegation for the first time since 1954.
The club are currently 19th in the Premier League with just 15 points and recently sacked Frank Lampard from his managerial role in a bid to salvage the season.
Although Everton are just three points from safety, they took two further blows at the transfer deadline, as not only did Anthony Gordon leave the club to join Newcastle, but they were also unable to make any transfers after several players turned down offers to join.
Frank Lampard was sacked from Everton management as the club dropped to 19th place
Winger Anthony Gordon recently departed Everton for Newcastle leaving a huge void to fill
Rooney’s DC United team have also had their fair share of bad luck after finishing last season as the worst team in MLS, although it wasn’t largely Rooney’s fault after he took over towards the end of the season. .
DC have already made high-profile additions, such as former Premier Leaguers Christian Benteke and Mateusz Klich, and there’s a chance the team isn’t quite done adding players.
“We’re still looking, but with the budget the way it works, we’re looking for the right player in the right position,” Rooney said.
Prized winter signing Klich flew to DC and met his new teammates in Washington, but needed to return to Europe while the visa process took place. He has continued to exercise with fitness trainers while he waits for his visa.
Klich hopes to make his preseason debut next Monday against MLS Cup champion Los Angeles FC at the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, California, Rooney said.
United will open the Coachella tournament on Wednesday with a 90-minute game against Charlotte FC and a 45-minute session against Vancouver.
Winter signing Mateusz Klich is expected to play a big role in turning around DC United’s fortunes