Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Wayne Rooney could have my job one day
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested Wayne Rooney could go on to manage Manchester United one day.
Rooney captained Derby County against United, the club he spent the majority of his career with, in the FA Cup fifth round on Thursday night, which the Red Devils won 3-0.
What did Rooney achieve with Man Utd? Five things to know…
- Rooney made 559 appearances for Manchester United before returning to Everton in 2017.
- He is United’s all-time leading scorer with 253 goals across all competitions.
- The 34-year-old won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup at Old Trafford among other major honours.
- What’s more, he was named in the Premier League Team of the Year on three occasions.
- He also holds the record for scoring the most Premier League goals for one club (183).
The former England has a player-coach role with Derby and is likely to go into management full-time when his playing days come to an end.
Solskjaer has gone from playing for the Red Devils to managing the club, and the Norwegian has spoken about the possibility of other ex-United players eventually taking up the mantle in the Old Trafford dugout.
Asked about Rooney’s chances of one day becoming United boss, Solskjaer suggested motivation is the key factor.
“It depends on how much you put into the job and how much you want it,” Solskjaer said.
“It takes over your life but it’s the best – the second best – after playing so I’m sure there’s many ex-players and manager that would like to have my job.”
Solskjaer is under contract at United until the summer of 2022 after taking over permanently last March.
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Rooney: I loved every minute of Man Utd career
Prior to Thursday’s FA Cup tie, Rooney spoke of his love for Manchester United but said he would stop being a fan of the club for one night.
“My time at Manchester United, I loved every minute of it. I am a Derby County player now and I want to win with Derby,” he said.
“For that 90 minutes, or 120 minutes, obviously I want Manchester United to lose.
“Everyone will understand that I want Derby to win in this game and after that I will go back to being a Manchester United fan and wanting them to win.
“The one team I wanted was Manchester United. We were on the coach, actually, going to the hotel the night before a game when the draw was taking place and there was a cheer when United came out. It is a great draw for us.”
