Wayne Rooney is set to become the new head coach of Birmingham City, sources have confirmed to 90min.
The 37-year-old recently left his post as manager of D.C. United after they failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs. Rooney chose to make the move back to the United States in 2022 having spent two years as a player with D.C. United towards the end of his playing career.
Rooney first stepped into management with Derby County in 2020 as an initial caretaker replacement for Phillip Cocu, before retiring from playing in order to take the job full-time.
He managed to steer the Rams to Championship safety in his first season in charge, but financial problems saw the club docked 12 points during the 2021/22 campaign and they were relegated to League One. Rooney resigned shortly after.
90min understands that Rooney is now returning to the Championship with Birmingham, who parted company with John Eustace on Monday morning.
"It is essential that the Board of Directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire Football Club," the Blues said in a statement.
"A new First Team Manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace."
Rooney has spent much of his managerial career trying to turn round the fortunes of clubs struggling at the bottom end of their respective tables, accruing a win percentage of just 27.5 across his spells with Derby and D.C. United.
He will arrive at Birmingham with the club in a pretty healthy position in the standings, sitting sixth in the Championship table.
READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM
This article was originally published on 90min as Wayne Rooney agrees to Championship return after leaving D.C. United.
