Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney appointed DC United manager on $1m-a-year contract – despite Coleen’s tears
WAYNE ROONEY has been officially unveiled as new manger of MLS outfit DC United.
The England legend has agreed to take charge of the Washington DC-based club, despite The Sun exclusively revealing wife Coleen's concern about the job and being determined to stay in the UK.
He is thought to have agreed a $1million-a-year (£850k) contract to take up his new position.
Rooney, who spent with two seasons with the side as a player in 2018 and 2019, was pictured taking a training session earlier on Tuesday.
The Three Lions icon headed back Stateside earlier this week without wife Colleen and his kids after quitting as manager of Derby County last month.
Colleen, although supportive of the job, wants to stay in Cheshire where their kids are settled.
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Rooney has not wasted any time in getting straight to work, overseeing training ahead of DC United's match against Columbus Crew on Thursday.
That fixture is set to be Rooney's first match in the dugout.
He said: "I have seen a few articles back in England that this is possibly a backwards step in my managerial career but i found that disrespectful to this league.
"I feel the experience gained at Derby County over the last 18 months has been great in my development as a manager and to come back to DC United is an exciting challenge.
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"The team needs to improve which is obvious and I believe in my development of young players and getting players in, we can be successful again. It will take a lot of hard work."
On the move, Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan Co-Chairmen of DC United said: "Wayne is a soccer legend and one of the most exciting and dynamic up-and-coming managers in our sport.
"He’s already proven in his young coaching career that he knows how to lead a group through adversity.
"He has an understanding of our league and what it takes to be successful in Major League Soccer thanks to his two-year stay with us as a player.
"The passion he showed while wearing Black-and-Red electrified our city and our club and we are so excited to welcome him back as our Head Coach.”
What Rooney demands of himself and his team played a vital role in the appointment.
Dave Kasper, President of Soccer Operations for DC United, added: "Wayne is a winner and a competitor. His work ethic and what he demands of himself and his players is second to none.
"Wayne’s approach to the game and the style of soccer he wants to play fits within our philosophy and we believe he is the right person to lead our club moving forward.”
The move does come as a surprise after wife Coleen struggled to settle when they lived there previously.
Coleen, 36, has given Rooney her full support but sources have told The Sun she is not planning on moving back with him.
Rooney is set to be without wife Coleen and four sons Kai, 12, Cass, four, Klay, nine, and Kit, six after they found life difficult when they originally moved to the States.
A source told The Sun: "Wayne has discussed the job with Coleen, but she has categorically said she’s not going.
"That said, she doesn’t want to stand in his way. They have an understanding that they are a team but emotionally she isn’t invested.
"There has been a lot of back and forth but they now agree to disagree.
"The children are settled in school and do not want to go back to America, so they plan to stay in Cheshire with their mum.
"It will be very hard for everyone as a managerial job is much more time consuming than being a player, so nipping back to the UK will be hard."
As a player Rooney spent two seasons with DC United - scoring 25 goals in 52 appearances for the club.
Rooney initially left DC United to join Derby as a player-coach in January 2020, and after spending some time as interim boss was named permanent manager of the Rams a year later.
But he is keen to return in order to further his managerial career.
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Rooney left Derby last month after narrowly failing to keep the club in the Championship despite being hit with a 21-point deduction and placed under administration.
He stepped down from his role as boss just hours before boyhood Derby fan David Clowes stepped in to save the club from administration.