Legendary Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could become Alex Iwobi’s manager at Everton, after the former England international emerged among the early favourites to replace Rafael Benitez who was sacked on Sunday.
Benitez spent less than seven months in charge at Goodison Park and lost his job following Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Norwich – a ninth defeat in 12 Premier League games.
The Toffees now sit just six points above the relegation zone, with former Liverpool boss Benitez paying the price for a poor run of form.
Current Derby manager Rooney played 117 games for Everton during two spells on Merseyside, breaking through at his boyhood club to make his first-team debut at the age of 16.
He returned in 2017 after a trophy-laden 13 years at Manchester United where he won five Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Europa League, the FA Cup and three League Cups.
Ending his career as the all-time top goalscorer for both United and England, Rooney has since taken over at Derby, remaining with the club as the Rams entered administration and were docked a total of 21 points as a result.
Despite the financial issues, Rooney has guided Derby to eight wins this season and they climbed off the foot of the Sky Bet Championship with a win over Sheffield United on Saturday.
Now Everton are looking to appoint a fifth permanent manager in the last three and a half years and Rooney is among the early candidates, alongside the likes of former caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson, ex-Toffees manager Roberto Martinez and Frank Lampard.
