Man Utd legend ‘frontrunner’ for EFL job if Rangers domino effect kicks into action

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will be the frontrunner to become the next manager at Championship side Birmingham City - if their current boss John Eustace is poached by Rangers.

There is pressure on current Ibrox chief Michael Beale following two defeats in their opening two Scottish Premiership games as well as defeat in their Champions League qualifying tie against PSV Eindhoven.

On Sunday, Rangers were beaten 1-0 by Old Firm rivals Celtic with Brendan Rodgers side already four points clear of Beale’s men after just four fixtures.

It’s claimed by The Daily Mail Birmingham’s head coach Eustace is “emerging as an early candidate” for the Rangers position with the “pressure mounting on Beale”.

It has led to the Blues drawing up a shortlist of their own as The Telegraph, The Mirror and The Daily Mail report Rooney is the frontrunner to take over at Birmingham if Eustace leaves for Rangers.

Rooney joined United from Everton in 2004 after bursting onto the scene at Goodison Park. He spent 13 years at Old Trafford before returning to the Toffees in the summer of 2017. He spent time at D.C. United and then retired with Derby County.

He took charge at the Rams between November 2020 and June 2022 before joining D.C. United as their head coach in July 2022. Derby were relegated under Rooney during the 2021-22 season but the club had been deducted a total of 21 points - 12 for entering adminstration and nine for breaching EFL accounting rules.

Rooney is best known for his time at Old Trafford, as he played a key role during the success under Sir Alex Ferguson - winning one Champions League and five Premier League titles with the club. He made 559 appearances, scoring 253 goals and providing 145 assists.

Upon leaving the club in 2017, Rooney said in a social media post: “Just want to say a massive thank you to everybody at Manchester United. Thanks to the boards over the years, the managers and coaches I’ve played under, the staff I’ve worked with, the team mates I’ve played alongside, and finally the amazing fans that I’ve been lucky enough to have played for. Thanks for the memories.”