Wayne Rooney has revealed he is keen to follow Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard into management once he ends his playing career.
Manchester United and England’s all-time leading scorer is preparing to get his UEFA B licence and will continue working towards getting his coaching badges while playing in the MLS for DC United.
Despite his contract with the Washington club not expiring until 2022, Rooney is keen to prepare for life after retirement from football – 16 years after making his professional debut.
“Football is what I know. It is what I have done my whole life.
“I just think it a shame when you see players who have had careers like mine, when they have been footballers from a young age, you see them finish and they just walk away from the game.
“Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have moved into management and I think it is brilliant for those two. It is the right time for young English managers to step forward. I am sure in two or three years there will be clubs in the Premier League coming to try to snatch them away,” Rooney told the Mail on Sunday.
When asked about whether he would be an authoritarian, he continued: “A good way to start out as a manager is to, first of all, be honest with your players but also know your players and know how to manage them.
“I think man-management is more important sometimes than the training you do.”
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