Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney ‘could have just ONE game remaining as DC United manager’
WAYNE ROONEY could only have one more game in charge of DC United after yesterday’s crushing defeat to Austin.
Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer, 37, returned to his former club as manager in July 2022 following a stint at Derby County.
But his time there could be over in a matter of days after their faint play-off hopes were all-but crushed on Wednesday.
Rooney’s team were hammered 3-0 at Austin – which left him even admitting that it would need “almost a miracle” to progress.
DC United can still mathematically reach the Eastern Conference playoffs, but having played more games than their rivals, it would need a huge stroke of luck for the 11th-placed side to make it.
Speaking after their latest setback, which saw them two down at the break, Rooney told Washington Post: “I spoke to the players before the game about not giving up cheap goals.
“We’ve done that with all three goals, but the goals in the first half were very poor.
“The first half wasn’t good enough. I could’ve taken 11 players off at halftime.”
Even with a win over New York City in their final game on Sunday, DC United are now relying on others to avoid being leapfrogged by the time the rest of the league wrap-up their regular campaigns on October 21.
And that could mean that the upcoming clash could mark Rooney’s final game in charge with his contract due to expire this summer, although there is an option to extend it for 12 months.
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
But the former England striker did recently reveal that he and the club’s executives are yet to discuss his future.
He said: “I am slightly disappointed and frustrated that there has been no contact for two months.
“We asked about a new deal. We can sit down and talk about it. We haven’t heard back. Either way, I can take whatever the situation is. I was hoping we would have, either way, at least spoken about it. That hasn’t been the case.”
Rooney added: “We asked to sit down and speak because planning for next season needs to go ahead.
“So we asked two months ago where everything was at, are we moving forward or not moving forward — if that’s the case from their point of view — and we haven’t heard back.
“That’s frustrating because, either way, I’d rather know what’s the plan because we have to plan for next season. We need to do it earlier rather than later.
“The fact we haven’t heard back is probably signalling one thing, but I’m sure they’ll have their reasons for that. So I’ll wait and see.”