Wayne Rooney has insisted that he remains focused on getting back into football management despite being approached over a move into the world of boxing. It was reported earlier this week that Rooney was in talks with Misfits, the promotional company founded by YouTube star KSI, about swapping his football boots for a pair of boxing gloves.
Rooney is known to be a huge boxing fan, having been a member of an amateur boxing club in Liverpool during his childhood. He also walked out with Ricky Hatton before his fight against Jose Luis Castillo in 2007, while a video surfaced in 2015 showing Rooney sparring with former Manchester United youth star Phil Bardsley in his kitchen.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast by Sky Bet, Rooney confirmed that Misfits had reached out but insisted that he was still eager to return to football management after a disastrous spell in charge of Birmingham City.
“They’ve been in touch and asked the question but I think, at the minute, I want to focus on getting back into management, not boxing,” explained Rooney.
“They’ve just been in touch to fight, yeah. There’s been a few. Obviously, Misfits have been in [touch] and it’s been all over the news or whatever. I want to focus on getting back into management, that’s my focus. I’ve seen it all over the last couple of days, all the headlines, but my main focus is getting back into football.”
Rooney was sacked by Birmingham last month after winning just two and losing nine of his 15 matches in charge. He previously had stints in the dugout at DC United and Derby County before joining the Blues, who sacked John Eustace to appoint Rooney despite sitting in the Championship play-off places.
The former United striker went on to suggest that he should have been given more time at Birmingham despite overseeing a horrific run of results, which saw them slide down the table from sixth to 20th.
In a statement, Rooney said: “Football is a results business and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be. However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.
“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16. Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.”
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