Wayne Rooney to return to punditry this week after leaving Plymouth – as he prepares for new role covering the Champions League
- Rooney has previously worked as a pundit while he pursues a career in coaching
- He was sacked by Plymouth in December but is now set to return to screens
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Wayne Rooney will return to punditry this week, having been sacked by Plymouth in December.
The Manchester United icon has previously worked as a pundit for the likes of Sky Sports and TNT Sports, while he has also featured on Match of the Day on BBC.
It is a different broadcaster that the former forward will be working for, however, with it announced he will be joining Amazon Prime as a pundit to work on their Champions League coverage.
Rooney’s first appearance will be on Tuesday, as he takes to the microphone during the first leg of Manchester City’s play-off match against Real Madrid. The game will be played at the Etihad, with the return fixture to take place in Spain next week.
The broadcaster already has Alan Shearer and Daniel Sturridge among their pundits, while Frank Lampard featured on coverage earlier this season before becoming manager of Coventry.
Amazon show the top Tuesday match each week of the competition, as they share Champions League rights with TNT Sports – and, now, they will have a new man involved to boost the shows.
Wayne Rooney, pictured with wife Coleen, is set to return to punditry this week with Amazon
The Man United icon is pursuing career in coaching but was sacked by Plymouth in December
Amazon took to social media to announce that he would be joining their broadcast team
Rooney was sacked by Plymouth in December after overseeing just four wins in 23 league games.
That came after he was dismissed by Birmingham last year following an 83-day spell that brought nine defeats in 15 matches.
He previously managed Derby County and MLS side DC United and while he gained plaudits for his work with the Rams, Rooney has won just 45 of his 178 games as a manager at a ratio of 25.3 per cent.
Still, he was praised for his honesty while working as a pundit previously, especially when it came to covering former side United.
Amazon announced his appointment on social media with a post reading: ‘Wayne Rooney joins #UCLonPrime ! The England & Man Utd legend will make his Prime debut on Man City v Real Madrid, LIVE on Tuesday from 6.30pm!’
They also shared a compilation of some of Rooney’s finest moments in the Champions League – he won the competition once, scoring 30 goals in 85 appearances.
Reports, meanwhile, emerged last month that Rooney has been in talks over joining Match of the Day as a regular pundit next season.
It followed the confirming of Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Logan as hosts following Gary Lineker’s departure at the end of the season as part of a three-person rota.
Rooney will work with Amazon following stints with the likes of Sky Sports and TNT Sports
The broadcaster already has the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Alan Shearer on their panel
Rooney – who won the Champions League with United as a player in 2008 – has revealed he would like to go back into management
The 39-year-old joined the Stick to Football podcast, where he spoke out on his future in coaching, a fortnight ago.
‘I would like to go back in [to management],’ he said. ‘But it would have to be the right club.
‘I’m not in a massive rush to go back in. There’s different things that I’m looking at to try and get involved with… unless something was absolutely the right thing to do.
‘Every club I’ve been at, I’ve put myself in a really challenging situation. I’ve had some great experiences, good ones, bad ones (and) you’ve always got that to fall back on.’
