Wayne Rooney could make managerial return as Championship club 'eye Man Utd icon'

is reportedly in line for a surprise return to management despite struggling at his previous club, Plymouth Argyle. The former Manchester United star left the Championship outfit with Plymouth languishing in the relegation zone.

Rooney has endured a mixed time of things as a manager, with the ex-England captain having coached at Derby County, DC United, Birmingham City and most recently Plymouth. , having tasted victory just five times during his 25-game stint.

Despite his travails, are reporting that Rooney is a candidate for the Blackburn Rovers job. It comes as the pressure continues to mount on Valerien Ismael, who only took charge at Ewood Park in February this year.

It came after manager John Eustace surprisingly left Rovers to pen a deal with Rooney's former club, Derby, who are struggling towards the bottom of the Championship table. But Blackburn have won just one of their last eight matches under Ismael, with their playoff hopes having been dashed in recent weeks. Blackburn currently sit 10th in the Championship table, seven points off the top six with just four matches of the campaign to play.

Rooney has maintained he wants to carve out a successful career in management, recently stating on the Stick to Football podcast that he intends to return to the dugout. He said earlier this year: "I would like to go back in [to management] But it would have to be the right club. Certainly the right club.

"I think you always have that ego, don't you? You always have that confidence you could go in and get the best out of a bad or difficult situation. Obviously, that wasn't the case [at Plymouth]. I am going to enjoy time with my family, though."

Rooney doubled down on that approach in a separate chat with Match of the Day, setting his sights on the United and Everton jobs. The former Champions League winner said: "Managing Manchester United or Everton is the aim, these big jobs are where you want to get to. But it's a process I have got to go through the steps and get myself back on track.

"I want to get myself back into management to make sure in the next 10 years I'm hopefully in a position to go into one of the big jobs."