Wayne Rooney withdraws from Match of the Day following lower back injury – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney was unable to appear in Match of the Day on Saturday night following an injury.

Since hanging up his boots, Rooney decided to pursue a career in management, taking up managing Derby County and MLS side D.C. United before heading back to England to manage Birmingham City.

Ultimately, it appears as if the 38 year old is not cut out to be a manager, having been sacked from his role at Birmingham after just 15 games in charge. During this time, the club suffered the worst record in the EFL Championship, winning just two matches.

Now, it appears as if Rooney is setting his sights on other ventures, with the former Man United striker looking to give punditry a try.

While initially slated to appear as a guest pundit on Match of the Day last night, during which United’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Bournemouth was discussed, Rooney was unable to a fulfill his dream after suffering an injury setback.

The United legend revealed this news on X, stating: Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little.

He continued: “Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future. Good luck to @GaryLineker and the guys for tonight’s show and see you soon.”

Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little. Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future. Good…

— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) April 13, 2024

For those United fans who caught a glimpse of Rooney’s injury news out of context, they could be forgiven for thinking that he may have returned from retirement to play for Erik ten Hag’s side given the club’s atrocious injury record this season.

As of writing, nine United players are sidelined through injury, including Tyrell Malacia, who has been missing the entire season.

While there are those injuries that the club cannot be blamed for, there has certainly been a significant portion of setbacks that will have United fans wondering whether the coaching staff are managing injured players the way that they should be.

Lisandro Martinez suffered an injury relapse in February after coming back from a metatarsal injury that saw him miss four months of football following surgery.

Other cases of repeat injuries include Luke Shaw, who is not expected to return until May, along with Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, and Jonny Evans.

Should Ten Hag retain his managerial role going into next season, he would do well to reflect on how he and his coaching staff handle United’s injuries so as that the club does not endure another underwhelming season.

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