Rooney: Liam Rosenior deserves chance to manage Chelsea

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has thrown his support behind Liam Rosenior as a potential manager for Chelsea, praising the Strasbourg head coach as one of the best he has worked with, Sport360NG reports.

Rosenior, 41, has emerged as a leading candidate for the Stamford Bridge role after Chelsea parted ways with Enzo Maresca. The English coach currently manages French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, a club partially owned by the same consortium as Chelsea.

Rooney and Rosenior previously worked together at Derby County between 2021 and 2022, when Rosenior served as Rooney’s assistant during a challenging period for the Championship side. After Rooney left, Rosenior briefly acted as Derby’s interim manager before securing a permanent role at Hull City.

Speaking on the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain lauded Rosenior’s coaching ability and attention to detail. “He’s taken chances, and hopefully that pays off because I think Liam is as good a coach as I’ve ever worked with,” Rooney said.

Rooney added that Rosenior played a pivotal role in his managerial setup at Derby, handling much of the tactical and coaching responsibilities. “Liam was so important for me. He was incredible in his coaching ability. I was more of the manager and dealing with players and everything,” he noted.

Chelsea have started the process of appointing a new head coach, with Rosenior currently regarded as the frontrunner.