Wayne Rooney unsure on next move after confirming DC United exit

England legend oversaw 2-0 victory over New York City FC in final match
On the move: Rooney will be leaving DC United
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Jonathan Gorrie8 October 2023

Wayne Rooney has confirmed he will be leaving DC United after the club’s MLS play-off hopes came to an end.

The former England captain had been in charge at the Washington club since last summer but a 2-0 victory over New York City FC proved to be his final match.

CEO and co-chairman Jason Levien said on dcunited.com: "We have spoken with Wayne and agreed it is best for us to part ways at this time.

"This decision creates the avenue for our next general manager to have the full opportunity to impart a new philosophy and structure onto our sporting operations, which begins with the critical identification of a head coach who will best align with this.

"We are grateful to Wayne Rooney for all he has done for our club and for soccer in the nation’s capital, first as a DC United player and captain and most recently as our coach. He remains an important part of the DC United family and a valued and cherished friend."

Rooney first moved to the MLS in 2018, spending 15 months in Washington as a player, and returned last summer after cutting his managerial teeth at Derby.

The 37-year-old improved DC United’s points tally but is heading back to England after their play-off hopes ended.

"It’s just the right time," said Rooney in quotes reported by the Washington Post.

"I think I’ve done everything I can to try and get the club into (the) play-offs. It’s not one single thing which has happened, it’s about timing in your career. I have really enjoyed my time here. But I just feel it’s the right time to go back to England. What lies ahead, I don’t know."

Additional reporting from PA

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in