NEXT-GEN MANAGERS

Thierry Henry isn’t the only legendary player trying his hand at management. From Derby and Doha to Sao Paulo and San Sebastian, icons of the game are cutting their teeth aiming for more glory

Words Chris Flanagan, Mark White

WAYNE ROONEY DERBY

As he was unveiled as a manager for the very first time, Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer smiled for the cameras. He had just taken charge of a historic club in the second tier, hoping to return them to former glories.

Bobby Charlton was 35, but things didn’t go very well: within a year, Preston North End were relegated to the Third Division. Unable to seal promotion the following year, he resigned in a huff, unhappy when one of his key players was sold without his consent.

ROONEY’S BEEN A CALM PRESENCE IN THE DUGOUT AND GOT THE BEST OUT OF DERBY’S YOUNGSTERS

It would be Charlton’s only permanent managerial role, as he became the example in any argument about the best players not always making great bosses.

Now, Manchester United and England’s record goalscorer is Wayne Rooney. He’s also 35, making his first steps in the dugout with Championship side Derby. “It’s a big chance for me to try to lead this club back to the glory days,” he proclaimed, after being given the Rams job permanently in January.

Early in his two-month caretaker stint, some had doubts whether he was the right choice. “If Derby want to get themselves relegated, then appoint Wayne Rooney,” rent-a-gob ex-Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan declared. “They’re bottom of the league and he’s never managed before. It’s too risky.”

But Wazza was determined: for years, he’d known what was ahead. “I’d like to do it,” he said as far back as 2010, when he was only 24. “I’ve started doing my coaching badges. I can’t see myself running a restaurant.” While Heston Blumenthal can breathe a sigh of relief, Rooney – though never regarded as the most eloquent of speakers – has always possessed an innate football intelligence. “His knowledge of the game isn’t in question, and he has a presence about him,” Sir Alex Ferguson admitted recently. “He’s a wealthy young man and he doesn’t need to go into management. But he wants to do it.”

“I would have served up a pretty mean creme brulee...”

That was why Rooney left DC United and joined Derby as a player-coach in late 2019. He had two years left on his contract in the US, but the lure of coaching was too great – even if there was surprise that he’d joined a club in the Championship’s bottom half. Midlands reporters have since claimed it was written into his contract that he’d be given an opportunity to manage Derby one day.

Rooney wasn’t eligible to play until January but arrived early to begin his duties, teaming up with manager Phillip Cocu. The Dutchman probably sensed that his new coach would replace him at some point.