Wayne Rooney reveals he REJECTED the chance to be interviewed for the Everton job, as the boyhood Toffees fan insists rescuing crisis club Derby County is ‘important’ to him
- Wayne Rooney has revealed he turned down an interview for the Everton job
- Everton are searching for a new manager after Rafa Benitez’s dismissal
- Rooney, a boyhood Toffees fan, says he wants to help Derby County survive
- The Rams boss believes he will become a Premier League manager one day
- Frank Lampard and Vitor Pereira are both being considered by Everton
Wayne Rooney has revealed he rejected the chance to have an interview for the vacant manager’s job at former club Everton.
Rooney is currently in charge of crisis-torn Championship club Derby and attracted interest from Everton after they sacked Rafael Benitez earlier this month.
Yet despite Rooney’s emotional ties to Everton, his boyhood club where he made his debut aged 16, the former England captain said he had chosen not to pursue the opportunity.
Wayne Rooney has turned down an interview for the vacant manager’s job at Everton
Rooney wants to help crisis club Derby County beat the drop in the Championship
‘They approached my agent and asked me to interview for the job which I turned down,’ he said. ‘I believe I will be a Premier League manager and that I’m ready for that, and if that’s with Everton in future that would be great.
‘It was a very difficult decision but I’ve got a job here at Derby which is important to me, and that means me getting the team ready to play Birmingham on Sunday.’
Everton have yet to appoint a permanent successor to Benitez, who was dismissed after barely six months at the helm, with Duncan Ferguson taking charge for last weekend’s 1-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.
Rooney was named permanent manager at Derby in January 2020. He kept the club in the Championship on the final day of last season but they entered administration last September and have been docked a total of 21 points.
While Derby try to stage an unlikely escape from relegation – they are second bottom, eight points from safety – their existence is under threat. A further loan of about £1.25million earned them a reprieve until the end of February, when the club will once more have to prove to the EFL that they have the funds to complete the season.
Bill Kenwright (left) and Farhad Moshiri (right) are still searching for Benitez’s replacement
Surprisingly, Rooney said he had been assured by administrators Quantuma that he would not have to sell more players this month, with promotion-chasing Bournemouth showing strong interest in captain Tom Lawrence.
He added: ‘I’ve spoken to the administrators and they’ve reassured me that Tom won’t be going, and no players will be leaving.
‘The stuff off the field is out of my control and we all want reassurances that this club can move forward. It needs to come as quickly as possible. It’s a difficult period and the important thing is this club gets sorted out.
‘People really need to be sensible on this because I think it’s getting out of hand. We’ll keep doing our best on the pitch to make the fans proud. We’ll keep working and doing our job to try and get results and keep this club in the league.’