How Wayne Rooney Can Impact DC United As A Manager

From Derby County to DC United, Wayne Rooney has hung up his boots as a dominant striker and is now fulfilling his dream of becoming a manager. Interestingly, multiple news sources have claimed that Rooney aspires to become the Manchester United Manager one day. For now, however, his time and efforts lie solely with DC United. 

Wayne left his previous managerial job at Derby County, claiming that the club, team, and supporters needed someone with a different level of energy. In his opinion, that was the only way that the club would survive through a period of uncertainty.  

Shortly after his departure from Derby, Rooney returned to the club that he spent two years playing for. During this time, he scored a total of 23 goals with 13 assists. He helped the team to secure 40 points in their remaining 20 games of the 2018 season, which was one of the hottest streaks the MLS has seen in quite a while. 

However, questions have surfaced regarding whether or not Wayne Rooney will have a positive impact on DC United moving forward. Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath seems to think highly of the English manager, claiming that he was impressed by his high levels of drive and self-belief.  

There is no doubt that Rooney had a hugely positive impact in his first role as a manager at Derby County. During his appointment, he managed the team for 73 matches, clinching 22 wins and 17 draws. Unfortunately, however, his team did lose 34 times in total over his two-year reign as manager. 

The above results contributed to an average of 1.14 points per match. At Derby, Rooney preferred to use the 4-2-3-1 format but has changed this to a 4-3-3 attacking with DC United. He believes that this will best suit the likes of Kamara and Hopkins.

Interestingly, Wayne has never signed any players as a manager. Derby County was in a terrible place financially, with the club being on the brink of liquidation throughout Rooney's time there. With the proper budget, it will certainly be interesting to see his approach to new signings. However, his first focus will likely be to get an understanding of the current players and coaching staff, to find cost-effective ways of improvement.

Since being appointed as the DC United manager in July of 2022, Rooney has actually improved in performance, at least when compared to his average points per match at Derby. Of course, this is based on an incredibly short run of results. At the time of publication, he has a PPM of 1.33, having won 1 match out of his first 3 in charge of the team.  

Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding when it comes to the success Wayne Rooney has had as a manager with DC United. As you can imagine, any manager looking to turn the tides on an MLS season will require some time. It's not magic, and Rooney knows all about the hard work and dedication needed to start getting positive results.