Although Wayne Rooney acknowledges that he does aspire to manage Everton in the future, he views the Manchester United position as the “pinnacle.”

Having only been appointed by Plymouth Argyle over the weekend, the former captain of the Toffees told former England and Old Trafford teammate Gary Neville on The Overlap (May 28) that he does have designs on the job currently held by Sean Dyche at Goodison Park.
Out of loyalty to his former Derby team, Rooney turned down the opportunity to join Everton after Rafa Benitez was fired. He was also linked to replace Frank Lampard prior to Dyche’s arrival two winters ago.

Regarding his ultimate goal of managing Man United or Everton, Rooney (4m 40s) said: “It’s a tough one because I’ve always said I’d love to manage.”

“United would be the best option to manage Man United, in my opinion. Being the team I love and support, Everton is more of an emotional one for me. However, United is truly the best.

Manchester United job over Everton role for ex-Birmingham boss

Rooney might have lost his chance to take over at Everton or Manchester United if he can’t perform well at Home Park.
Although the Toffees have faced the possibility of relegation from the Premier League on several occasions in recent seasons, and given the club’s financial circumstances, making long-term projections about the future is challenging, his recent performance has only distanced him from the position on Merseyside.

To his credit, Rooney has demonstrated a willingness to try and establish himself outside of the elite, taking the helm at Derby, DC United, Birmingham, and now Argyle. Unlike Frank Lampard, who took the Chelsea job after just one year at Derby, Rooney did not seize the opportunity to manage Everton right away.

However, the terrible run St. Andrew’s had during the previous season could make or break his managerial career at his new position.

Even towards the end of the previous season, Dyche was under pressure because his team had a terrible run of play in 2024 and had lost two points due to deductions.

Despite all the issues off the field, he managed to steer the team out of danger with games remaining, and without the eight points dropped, they would have easily finished in mid-table. As a result, his job is safe for the foreseeable future.

It was predicted that Rooney would be the first person on the list to succeed the current Everton manager if he was fired, but it is unlikely that the 38-year-old’s recent success with the Pilgrims would make that a popular choice among the supporters.