Wayne Rooney will return to management in England after being appointed manager of Championship side Birmingham City, the club have announced on Wednesday.
Rooney left his role as D.C. United head coach on Sunday after his side failed to reach the Major League Soccer playoffs for a second successive season and joins Birmingham, where NFL legend Tom Brady announced he became a minority owner and advisory board chair in August.
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The Manchester United legend replaces John Eustace as manager, whose Birmingham side were sixth in the Championship with five wins from their opening 11 games before his 15-month spell in charge was brought to an end on Monday.
Eustace helped Birmingham avoid relegation last season in trying circumstances caused by two failed takeover bids and the looming threat of a points deduction due to a breach of EFL regulations.
Rooney has previously managed in the Championship with his first coaching job coming at Derby County between January 2021 and June 2022.
He guided the club from the foot of the Championship to safety months after arriving but failed to repeat the feat in his first full season in large part due to a 21-point deduction. The 55 points Derby posted that year would have been enough to secure safety in any other Championship season.
Rooney took charge at D.C. United in July 2022 after a previous playing spell at the club but was unable to prevent the team finishing last in the Eastern Conference in his first season. He led the club to an improved ninth place finish in 2023 but it wasn’t enough to secure a playoff spot.
DC United announced his departure immediately after their last game of the regular season, a 2-0 loss to New York City FC.
Rooney is United’s leading scorer with 253 goals and only earlier this year was usurped by Harry Kane as England’s all-time record goal scorer.
