Wayne Rooney lands new role following Plymouth axe with Man Utd legend to run coaching camp in Dubai
WAYNE ROONEY is heading to sunnier surroundings as he looks to get over his latest managerial axe.
The former England ace was let go by Championship club Plymouth on New Year’s Eve.
Rooney took over at Home Park last summer but won just five of his 25 matches in charge.
The 39-year-old could now be set for a TV punditry career after his fourth managerial failure.
But before following some of his former Man Utd teammates into punditry, Rooney is teaming up with holiday company Football Escapes.
The ex-England ace has been named as an ambassador for the business, which runs half-term coaching sessions in Dubai.
For his new role, Rooney will jet to the UAE next month for a special “Train with Wayne” workshop.
In a statement, Football Escapes wrote on Instagram: “We’re thrilled to announce that Wayne Rooney is our newest ambassador!
“Wayne will make his debut at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, this February Half Term (17th–21st February 2025).
“This is your chance to give your kids the opportunity to train with one of football’s greatest icons.”
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Per the company’s website, the trip features “exciting football sessions within the luxurious yet family-friendly atmosphere of one of Dubai’s most iconic resorts.”
The price for a family of four is listed between £7500 and £8650.
Earlier this month, SunOnline exclusively revealed Rooney is being targeted for a new role in punditry.
Roo is likely to be offered a mega-bucks deal to work as a football pundit, having impressed during screen stints on ITV and Sky.
A TV insider said: “Wayne is regarded as one of the best pundits in the business.
“He’s very, very knowledgeable about the game.
Wayne Rooney's record-breaking career
WAYNE Rooney took the football world by storm when he made his debut for 2002 with Everton.
He quickly became the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer aged 16 years and 342 days and was named the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year.
The striker joined Manchester United in 2004 and spent 13 years at Old Trafford. He went on to make 559 appearances for the Red Devils and scored 253 goals. To this day he is still the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Following his spell with United, Rooney returned to Everton for a season. He also spent one-season stints with D.C. United and Derby County at the end of his career.
As well as his impressive club career, Rooney is also England’s second-highest goalscorer with 53 goals in 120 appearances, behind only Harry Kane.
After hanging up his boots, the England icon turned to a career in management.
He took charge of Derby County in 2020 and managed to just about save the club from relegation from the Championship at the end of his first season.
However, with Derby handed a 21-point deduction the following campaign, he was unable to keep them up again and subsequently left.
Then came a 15-month spell in charge of MLS side D.C. United. He failed to impress during his time in Washington and parted ways with the club at the end of the 2023 regular season.
Rooney was controversially handed the Birmingham job in October 2023, replacing John Eustace with the club doing well and sixth in the Championship table.
However, in 15 games he suffered nine defeats and managed just two wins. He was sacked in January 2024 with Birmingham down in 20th. The club were relegated to League One at the end of the campaign.
He returned to management in May with Plymouth Argyle but managed just five wins in 25 games. The United legend now finds himself out of work once again.
“And even though he’s actually quite a shy person, he really feels at home in a TV studio.”
The insider added: “It’s been a rubbish end to 2024 for Wayne, but he’s not going to be out of work for long.
“He’ll be offered punditry work straight away and there’s interest from Sky in a potential long-term deal to tie him down as a pundit.”