How ex-Birmingham City boss Wayne Rooney is set to respond to shock job offer | OneFootball

England legend Rooney has been offered the chance to step into non-league management for the very first time

Wayne Rooney looks set to turn down the chance to return to football management with non-league Macclesfield FC.

The England footballing icon has been out of work since he departed Plymouth Argyle on New Year's Eve in 2024, leaving the Pilgrims rock-bottom of the Championship after just half a season in the job.

It was the third job in a row that Rooney was axed from after D.C. United of the MLS and then Birmingham City, but he has been offered the chance to get back into work after six months away from the hustle and bustle of management.

Wayne Rooney reportedly makes decision over Macclesfield FC job

As reported on Thursday evening by Alan Nixon, National League North side Macclesfield - who have been on the up since having to start again as a club since 2020 - wanted Rooney to become their new manager to replace the outgoing Robbie Savage.

Savage, who has only been head coach of the Silkmen since last year after previously being director of football - all whilst owning a 10.9 per cent stake in the club - is set to join National League side Forest Green Rovers, as FLW exclusively revealed, which will leave a vacancy in the dugout of the Leasing.com Stadium following their promotion from the Northern Premier League.

Former Wales international midfielder Savage reportedly recommended Rooney to be the number one target for the job, but in an update from Nixon on Friday, the job offer will be "politely declined" by the 39-year-old.

To add to that, the PA news agency - via The Independent - have also reported that Rooney won't be heading to the sixth tier of English football after the club approached his agent Paul Stretford earlier in the week, and he has not made himself available for the job, despite having "admiration" for the progress that the Cheshire outfit have made in such a short space of time, rising from the North West Counties Premier Division to the National League North in just four seasons.

Could Wayne Rooney be waiting for an EFL club to give him a chance after Plymouth Argyle & Birmingham City missteps?

It's fair to say that Rooney's reputation as a manager has decreased drastically in recent years.

With Derby County, it was difficult circumstances for a rookie coach to step into, and even though the Rams were relegated in 2022 to League One, the ex-Man United striker left with his head held high.

His time at D.C. United was much of a muchness, but his status in the dugout began to spiral when Birmingham City decided to hire him after firing John Eustace - an unpopular decision at the time and it would prove to be a bad mistake in hindsight, with Blues' form spiralling and it eventually led to relegation months after Rooney was axed after just three months in the job.

Rooney could also not stop Plymouth from being in a relegation battle either in 2024-25, and even though they had one of the smaller Championship budgets, he was still expected to not have them bottom of the table, which led to his dismissal.

In fairness to Rooney, even though Macclesfield are ambitious, a non-league job would still be too much of a drop down from what he's been used to, and his eyes will no doubt be on an EFL role once more when he's ready to come back - perhaps League One will be on his agenda to see if he can get the best out of a team at that level.