New Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney could turn his eyes to former club Manchester United over the possibility of signing an “emerging talent” that he previously missed out on.
Rooney exited DC United after his former side failed to reach the MLS Cup play-offs, despite beating New York City FC 2-0 on Sunday in their regular season finale.
The 37-year-old United legend, who previously managed Derby County, arrived at DC United in July 2022 and replaced Hernan Losada as head coach of the MLS outfit.
But Rooney admitted that it was the “right time” to leave DC United and to make his triumphant return to England, with Birmingham City immediately linked with him.
Birmingham City on Wednesday confirmed that Rooney had been appointed their new manager, following on from the club’s sacking of John Eustace on Monday.
Rooney will link up with former England teammate Ashley Cole and ex-United teammate John O’Shea as part of his backroom coaching staff at Birmingham City.
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Rooney previously wanted United wonderkid
Rooney has taken the next major step in his young managerial career and the former United striker will be keen to make his mark at Birmingham City.
Birmingham City are currently sixth in the Championship table after the sacking of Eustace, with Rooney’s new side 12 points adrift of league leaders Leicester City.
Rooney impressed during his first steps into management and, more importantly, how he handled the tough challenges that he faced at Derby.
United’s all-time record scorer stepped down from his role in 2022 as Derby boss after the club were relegated from the Championship.
Rooney, who initially took charge of Derby as a player-coach, did have his eyes on United starlet Amad Diallo during his time at the Rams.
According to The Derby Telegraph, Rooney said of Diallo in January 2022: “He is a Manchester United player and obviously he is a player of interest from a few clubs, I know that.
“Obviously I keep close tabs on some of the young emerging talent, not just from Manchester United but from other clubs and there are various players we are looking at in terms of what players can we bring in to improve the squad, what players can we bring in to play and give us the best chance of staying up.
“He is a player who of course I like him. If you are asking me is he going to be with us at some point in January, then that is very unlikely.”
Diallo to fight for his United place?
Diallo could be tempted to work under a United legend like Rooney at Birmingham City and continue to build further first-team experience under his belt.
The 21-year-old United winger enjoyed a successful loan spell at Sunderland last season, with Diallo scoring 14 times and registering four assists in 43 appearances.
Diallo featured for United in the pre-season friendly against Arsenal in July, but he was forced off the pitch and has since been recovering from a knee injury.
It remains unclear when the former Atalanta player could return for United, but Erik ten Hag could send Diallo back out on loan once he returns from injury.
Despite Ten Hag suffering from injuries in his United squad — not to mention his debacle with Jadon Sancho — Diallo faces stiff competition for a place in the first team.
With that said, the Ivory Coast international has an admirer in Rooney and a potential loan spell at Birmingham City could benefit his return to fitness post-injury.
Rooney could lay the early foundation for his managerial career at Birmingham City before kickstarting it further with a talented loan signing like Diallo in January.
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