Wayne Rooney has confessed that he would set aside his loyalties to Manchester United if offered the opportunity to serve as an assistant under Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola.
Despite his 13-year tenure at Old Trafford and his status as a former England captain, Rooney stated that the chance to collaborate with Guardiola would be irresistible.
Widely regarded as one of the club’s finest-ever players, Rooney holds a cherished place among the Red Devils faithful.
However, his deep connection with the United fanbase wouldn’t prevent him from seizing the opportunity to work under Guardiola.
In an interview with the Stick to Football podcast, the 38-year-old asserted that if offered a position as the City manager’s assistant, he would readily accept, stating he would “walk there.”
“It depends [on whether I’d ever be an assistant] – if Pep Guardiola comes in and asks me to be his assistant, you’d walk there,” claimed Rooney.
“But you see what Arteta is doing now and I strongly believe a lot of that is from learning what Guardiola was doing and so it depends on what the situation is.”
Mikel Arteta served as assistant manager at City for three years, contributing to some of the club’s greatest successes. Notably, he played a pivotal role in City’s dominant 2017/18 campaign, during which they secured their first league title under Guardiola while surpassing the 100-point mark, a feat unparalleled in Premier League history.
The current Arsenal manager has expressed his appreciation for his time in Manchester, with Rooney acknowledging that his current success at Arsenal owes in part to his experiences with Guardiola. However, Rooney’s own managerial journey has encountered challenges since retiring from playing.
Following stints with Derby County and D.C. United, Rooney assumed the role of Birmingham City boss in October 2023. Unfortunately, his tenure in charge of the Championship side was short-lived, lasting only two months before the former Everton player was dismissed after 15 matches in charge.
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