By Harry Allison
Wayne Rooney could be leaving DC United and returning to England well before his contract expires.
According to multiple reports, Rooney will meet with officials from English second-tier club Derby County today to discuss a potential return to England as a player-coach.
The move could happen as soon as the current MLS season concludes, according to the Post. Rooney is signed with DC United through the conclusion of the 2021 MLS season.
Premier League club Burnley FC also is interested in Rooney, according to reports.
Rooney signed with DC United to much fanfare in the summer of 2018 and joined the team midseason after the conclusion of his Premier League tenure with Everton. Rooney made his DC United debut in the opening game of the team’s new stadium, Audi Field, on July 14. With Rooney in the lineup, DC United — which had been lingering at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for much of the season — finished with a flurry, winning 12 of its last 20 games (tying four others) to qualify for the 2018 playoffs.
In 43 games played for DC United, Rooney has scored 23 goals and assisted on 14 others. He was selected for this season’s MLS All-Star Game and also participated in the reincarnation of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge last week. On Sunday night, Rooney played the full 90 minutes of DC United’s 5-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union. DC United currently sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference behind the Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls.
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