Wayne Rooney is reportedly targeting a return to management after his dismal spell in charge of Birmingham City.

After leaving MLS team DC United in October, Rooney, a former England and Manchester United forward, was officially named Birmingham’s manager.

But the appointment proved to be disastrous, as the Blues dropped from sixth to 20th place in the Championship.

In the end, Rooney was fired by the team at the beginning of January after just 15 games in command.

It has been said that Rooney is now hoping to return to the dugout despite his recent setback.

The Sun claims that the former England player would like to restart his management career in Saudi Arabia.

“Wayne’s time in charge at Birmingham hasn’t put him off the idea of management,” a source told the publication. In reality, he thinks he gained a lot of knowledge and abilities that will help him in the future.

“Wayne is aware that he still has a lot to prove, but he thinks he has what it takes to be a manager and would be thrilled to take charge of a Saudi Arabian team.”

“He believes he could bring a lot of those skills to the Arabian League and loved his time managing in America.”

There are rumors that Rooney has been told the extremely wealthy owners in the Middle East may be considering recruiting the 38-year-old.

“Having Wayne run a team over there would put more eyes on the league and give it a boost,” the source went on. The reputation has suffered a little bit after Jordan Henderson’s departure. If Rooney were to manage there, it would indicate that the league deserves serious consideration.

“Wayne is still adamant that he can demonstrate that he is a superior manager, and his goal to manage in the Premier League is still very much alive and well. However, he is aware that it won’t occur anytime soon.

Rooney would follow in the footsteps of his former England colleague Steven Gerrard, who is the manager of Al Ettifaq, a Saudi Professional League team, if he were to go to Saudi Arabia.

Gary Neville reveals the bizarre reason Wayne Rooney has the word ‘then’ tattooed on his back

Gary Neville has revealed the bizarre reason why Wayne Rooney has the word ‘then’ tattooed on his back.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson’s leadership, Neville and Rooney had many prosperous years together as members of the Manchester United squad that dominated English football.

Neville explained the meaning of Rooney’s tattoo of the word “then” on his back in an interview with the most recent episode of the Stick to Football podcast. Watch the video down below.

“Wazza had ‘then’ on his back, T-H-E-N,” Neville said. Have you heard that tale before?

What did that consist of? What is that?”When we were younger, my friend and I used to have a saying, Okay then,” he remarked.

Ian Wright, a fellow presenter, started laughing as Neville continued, saying, “And his mate had ‘Okay’ and he had ‘Then.'”

After that, Wright remarked, “It means something to him.”

Neville recently said, “I don’t see Jesus, Martinelli and Saka linking up,” drawing a comparison between Rooney and Gabriel Jesus, an Arsenal player. Saka is hammering it across as he tries to go to the back post. Martinelli doesn’t appear to be storming in at the back post. There is a lot of work to be done.

“This season, I’ve noticed that I often discuss whether Jesus and Eddie Nketiah should be starting strikers for a Premier League title-winning team or if they should be starting strikers at No. 2 and No. 3 after the conclusion of many Arsenal games.”

Neville went on, “I adore Jesus.” Sincerely, I adore him. I believe he is an excellent player, and I would have enjoyed playing beside him. He possesses elements of both Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. However, he lacks that instinct when it comes to goal. He can occasionally be found everywhere you don’t want him to be.

Rooney appeared in 559 games for United in all competitions and scored 253 goals.

Following his retirement from the NFL, Rooney entered management and has held executive positions at teams including Derby County and DC United.

The former striker most recently managed Birmingham City in the Championship, however due to subpar results, he was fired after just 15 games.

Gary Neville was a guest on the Sky Bet-sponsored Stick to Football podcast.