A week on Wednesday, at Audi Field in the capital of the United States, the youngest head coach in elite club football will step up his second pre-season in charge of Bayern Munich.
Julian Nagelsmann, still only 34 but with more than six years of top-flight management to his name, hopes it will be the beginning of a campaign that ends with the lifting of the European Cup. At Bayern, a Bundesliga title is almost assumed.
Up against Nagelsmann for the friendly in Washington will be the beleaguered players of DC United, the club sitting joint-bottom of the MLS’s Eastern Conference but hopeful that a new head coach can give them an immediate lift.
DC United were on Tuesday preparing for Wayne Rooney to take over the reins , subject to completing his visa paperwork. It’s a bold appointment with great resonance given Rooney’s status in the sport and his clear ambition to become a manager chasing the same sorts of top European prizes as Nagelsmann does.
Rooney is two years older than the German, but they are worlds apart in their career trajectories. Rooney won a European Cup and five Premier League titles as a player, holds the all-time scoring record for the England national team and Manchester United; Nagelsmann never played a senior professional match.
But the German focused on coaching from his early 20s, noting that his sport was becoming more and more receptive to managers without a long resumé of playing achievements to recommend their suitability. He is the prodigy manager in a line of distinguished achievers without a past played out under floodlights and in front of big crowds, a line that includes stellar modern coaches like Arrigo Sacchi and Jose Mourinho.
Rooney was a prodigy, then a legend, as a player, but has chosen a route into management that offered few privileges, some tough learning, and plenty of evidence of his resourcefulness and ambition as a coach. He stepped down as manager of Derby County last month after close to two seasons in as testing a first taste of the job as he could have imagined.
The then Championship club, which he had joined as a high-profile player coming towards the end of his playing career, were plunged into financial problems, and would suffer a 21-point deduction and a ban on new signings. This time a year ago, while Nagelsmann was integrating €60 million of his own hand-picked new signings into Bayern’s serial Bundesliga-winning squad, Rooney was spending the transfer window trying to persuade out-of-contract footballers to join an imperilled Derby which at one stage had just 14 senior players on the roster.
He would sometimes sleep over in his office after dawn-to-dusk lobbying to push through emergency, cut-price recruitment drives, knowing that his name, his aura, might be the difference between a journeyman player saying ‘yes’ to Derby or looking for a more secure gig elsewhere.
Players and coaches who have worked with Rooney through his decorated career recognise his leadership skills - he captained United and England, was forthright in dressing-rooms - but some were sceptical about his potential as a coach. The Derby experience has changed many minds .
Were it not for the punitive points deduction that his make-do collection of mavericks and swiftly-promoted youngsters at Derby endured during a stressful 2021/22 campaign in which the club’s very existence was threatened, the club would have finished comfortably in mid-table. As it is, they were relegated to League One, but united in their respect for Rooney’s defiant efforts to keep up morale, engage with supporters and back his players.
Former Manchester United and England player Bobby Charlton, left, presents Wayne Rooney with a golden boot trophy after Rooney broke Charlton's goal-scoring record, ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifying match between England and Estonia at Wembley in London on October 9, 2015. The former Manchester United captain ended his illustrious playing career to take up a job as full-time manager of Championship club Derby County with a contract up until 2023. AP
Manchester United's players and Wayne Rooney with the trophy after the Europa League final against Ajax at the Friends Arena in Solna outside Stockholm on May 24, 2017. AFP
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson substitutes Wayne Rooney against Newcastle United during a Premier League match at St James' Park on January 4, 2012. AFP
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Premier League match against West Ham United at Old Trafford on September 27, 2014. AFP
England striker Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the international friendly match between Scotland and England at Celtic Park in Glasgow on November 18, 2014. AFP
Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel comes out to punch the ball as Everton striker Wayne Rooney jumps during the Premier League match at Goodison Park in Liverpool on January 31, 2018. AFP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney holds up the trophy after beating Chelsea in the Champions League final at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on May 21, 2008. AFP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring his second goal against Portsmouth during their Premier League match at Old Trafford in Manchester on February 26, 2005.AP
Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney hold the Premier League trophy after their match against Wigan Athletic at The JJB Stadium in Wigan, on May 11, 2008.AFP
Everton striker Wayne Rooney crosses the ball during the Premier League match against Burnley at Goodison Park on October 1, 2017. AFP
England striker Wayne Rooney gives a thumbs-up as he replaces teammate Michael Owen in their opening round Group B World Cup match against Trinidad and Tobago at Nuremberg's Franken Stadium on June 15, 2006. AFP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney scores against Manchester City during a Premier League match at Old Trafford on December 9, 2006. AFP
England striker Wayne Rooney holds an award for 'England Player of the Year' at The Grove Hotel, in Hertfordshire, on March 1, 2010. AFP
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney jumps to control the ball during the Premier League match against Manchester City at the City Of Manchester Stadium on April 17, 2010. AFP
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney scores his side's second goal during the Premier League match against Manchester City at Old Trafford on February 12, 2011. AFP
Manchester United's new signing Wayne Rooney poses for photographers at Old Trafford on September 1, 2004. AFP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal against Bolton Wanderers at The Reebok Stadium on October 28, 2006. Action Images
Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring Manchester United's first goal against Liverpool during a Premier League match at Old Trafford on March 21, 2010. Action Images
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney lifts the trophy after his team beat Chelsea in the Champions League final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on May 21, 2008. Action Images
Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring the second goal for Manchester United in the Premier League match against Manchester City on February 12, 2011. Action Images
Derby County manager Wayne Rooney. Action Images
Derby County's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring against Fulham during a Championship match at Pride Park in Derby on February 21, 2020. Action Images
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney controls the ball during a Premier League match against Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 23, 2008. AP
England's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the group D World Cup match against Uruguay at the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 19, 2014. AP
Referee Horacio Elizondo issues a red card to England's Wayne Rooney in the World Cup quarter-final match between England and Portugal in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on July 1, 2006. AP
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his goal with teammate Wayne Rooney against Lyon during their Champions League match at Old Trafford on March 4, 2008. AP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney in action during a Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford on March 11, 2012. AP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney jokes with his manager Alex Ferguson during a training session at the Stade de France stadium, outside Paris on November 1, 2005. AP
England's Wayne Rooney, right, tussles with Buruk Okan of Turkey, during their Euro 2004 championship qualifying game in Sunderland on April 2, 2003. AP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney gestures toward referee Kim Milton Nielsen after receiving a yellow card and soon after a red one for his reaction during a Champions League match against Villarreal in Villarreal, Spain on September 14, 2005. AP
Wayne Rooney speaks during a press conference at Pride Park Stadium in Derby on August 6, 2019 after he agreed a deal to become a player-coach. AFP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney shows his frustration after missing a shot against Birmingham City during their Premier League match at Old Trafford on March 26, 2006. AFP
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney in action at Old Trafford. PA
Everton's Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game during a Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool on December 18, 2017. PA
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney scores his side's second goal against West Ham on February 23, 2010. PA
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring during a Premier League match on October 18, 2008. PA
Manchester United and England player Wayne Rooney poses with his new boots during a photocall at Old Trafford on April 25, 2006. PA
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (left) lifts the FA Cup trophy after the Emirates FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on May 21, 2016. PA
England's Wayne Rooney is sent off after stamping on Portugal's Alberto Ricardo Carvalho during the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on July 1, 2006. PA
Derby County's Wayne Rooney arrives for the English FA Cup fourth round match between between Northampton Town and Derby County at the Sixfields Stadium in Northampton on January 24, 2020. AFP
England's Wayne Rooney during a press conference at Mittelbergstadion, Buhlertal in Germany on June 28, 2006. PA
Everton's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Portsmouth during a Premier League match at Goodison Park on February 28, 2004. PA
Everton striker Wayne Rooney celebrates after signing a contract with the club on January 17, 2003. PA
England's Wayne Rooney celebrates after scoring his side's second goal against Liechtenstein, during their group seven Euro 2004 qualifier at Old Trafford on September 10, 2003. PA
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney with the PFA Young Player of the Year Award he received at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on April 23, 2006. PA
New Manchester United signing Wayne Rooney poses for photographers alongside manager Sir Alex Ferguson on September 01, 2004. PA
Everton, where he began and ended his Premier League career, were impressed enough to contact him when they were sounding out replacements for Rafa Benitez last season. DC United learned enough about Rooney during his late-career spell playing for them to now identify him as the big-name but still-apprentice coach to sort out their current emergency.
How long it takes to rescue a team who have won just once in nine games, and lost 7-0 at the weekend to Philadelphia Union, remains to be seen. Whether the MLS is the shrewdest place to build his portfolio, and his declared ambitions to manage in England’s top division, perhaps one day at Manchester United, is another matter.
But he will be encouraged by recent precedents. Two of the Premier League’s managerial success stories from last season launched their senior coaching careers in the US league. Patrick Vieira, who lifted Crystal Palace up from 14th to 12th in his first management job in England, coached New York City between 2016 and 2018; Jesse Marsch, brought in at Leeds United in February to stave off the threat of relegation - he did - began his coaching career in his native US. For managers, a step across the Atlantic is no longer seen as an eccentric career path.
75 notable summer transfers Perr Schuurs - Ajax to Torino (£8m). AFP
Paco Alcacer - Villarreal to Sharjah (loan). Getty Images
Matheus Nunes - Sporting to Wolves (£38m). AFP
Tanguy Nianzou - Bayern Munich to Sevilla (£16.9m). AFP
Alan Virginius - Sochaux to Lille (£3.8m). AFP
Thilo Kehrer - PSG to West Ham (£10.1m). Getty Images
Pervis Estupinan - Villarreal to Brighton (£15.1m). Getty Images
Destiny Udogie - Udinese to Tottenham (£15.1m). Loaned back to Udinese. Reuters
Sergio Gomez - Anderlecht to Manchester City (£11m). Photo: Manchester City
Alex Collado - Barcelona to Elche (loan). AFP
Remo Freuler - Atalanta to Nottingham Forest (£9m). AP
Marc Bartra - Real Betis to Tranbzonspor (undisclosed fee). Getty Images
Giovani Lo Celso - Tottenham to Villarreal (loan). Getty Images
Cheikhou Kouyate - Crystal Palace to Nottingham Forest (free). Getty Images
Emmanuel Dennis - Watford to Nottingham Forest (£20m). Getty Images
Nico González - Barcelona to Valencia (loan). AP Photo
Luca Pellegrini - Juventus to Eintracht Frankfurt (loan). AFP
Daniel Wass - Atletico Madrid to Brondby (£1.7m). EPA
Pablo Marí - Arsenal to Monza (loan). AP
Dries Mertens - Napoli to Galatasaray (free). AFP
Jordan Veretout - Roma to Marseille (£9.3m). Reuters
Christian Benteke - Crystal Palace to DC United (undisclosed fee). AFP
Maxwell Cornet - West Ham United to Burnley (£17.5m). PA
Georginio Wijnaldum - PSG to Roma (loan). AFP
Lucas Torreira - Arsenal to Galatasaray (£5m). AFP
Marc Cucurella - Brighton to Chelsea (£55m). Getty Images
Ademola Lookman - RB Leipzig to Atalanta (£12.6m). PA via AP
Renato Sanches - Lille to Paris Saint-Germain (£12.6m). AFP
Riqui Puig - Barcelona to LA Galaxy (free). AP Photo
Alex Telles - Manchester United to Sevilla (loan). AFP
Carney Chukwuemeka - Aston Villa to Chelsea (£20m). Reuters
Kasper Schmeichel - Leicester City to Nice (£1m). AFP
Mattia Viti - Empoli to Nice (£10.9m). AFP
Gabriel Slonina - Chicago Fire to Chelsea (£8.3m). Reuters
Bernd Leno - Arsenal to Fulham (£3m). AFP
Charles De Ketelaere - Club Brugge to AC Milan (£26.8m). AFP
Joe Rodon - Tottenham to Stade Rennais (loan). AFP
Borja Mayoral - Real Madrid to Getafe (£8.4m). EPA
Cesc Fabregas - Monaco to Como (free). EPA
Alexis Beka Beaka - Lokomotiv Moscow to Nice (£11.7m). AFP
Marcus Tavernier -Middlesbrough to Bournemouth (£10m). Getty Images
Aaron Ramsey - Juventus to Nice (free). AFP
Orel Mangala - Stuttgart to Nottingham Forest (£12.7m). AFP
David Raum - Hoffenheim to RB Leipzig (£21.8m). Getty Images
Oscar Mingueza - Barcelona to Celta Vigo (£2.5m). Getty Images
Jules Kounde - Sevilla to Barcelona (£45m). AFP
Dwight McNeil - Burnley to Everton (£20m). Getty Images
Arnaud Kalimuendo - PSG to Rennes (£21m). Getty Images
Filip Kostic - Eintracht Frankfurt to Juventus (£14.4m). EPA
Salvatore Sirigu - Genoa to Napoli (free). Reuters
Mikkel Damsgaard - Sampdoria to Brentford (£12.7m). EPA
Malang Sarr - Chelsea to Monaco (loan). AFP
Issa Diop - West Ham United to Fulham (£15m). Getty Images
Alexis Sanchez - Internazionale to Marseille (free). Getty Images
Timo Werner - Chelsea to RB Leipzig (£18m). AP
Amadou Onana - Llle to Everton (£33.8m). AFP
Emirhan Ilkhan - Besiktas to Torino (£3.8m). PA
Gonçalo Guedes - Valencia to Wolves (£27.5m). AP Photo
Conor Coady - Wolves to Everton (loan). Getty Images
Anthony Modeste - Cologne to Borussia Dortmund (£3.8m). EPA
Angeliño - RB Leipzig to Hoffenheim (loan). Getty Images
Marcos Senesi - Feyenoord to Bournemouth (£12.6m). AFP
Isco - Real Madrid to Sevilla (free). EPA
Raheem Sterling - Manchester City to Chelsea (£50m). Getty Images
Lisandro Martinez - Ajax to Manchester United (£46m). Getty Images
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich to Barcelona (£38.3m). AFP
Hugo Ekitike - Reims to Paris Saint-Germain (loan). AFP
Thomas Henry - Venezia to Verona (£3.8m). Getty Images
Takefusa Kubo - Real Madrid to Real Sociedad (£5.2m). Getty Images
Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli to Chelsea (£33.8m). EPA
Chancel Mbemba - Porto to Marseille (free). EPA
Breel Embolo - Borussa Monchengladbach to Monaco (£10.6m). EPA
Christian Eriksen - Brentford to Manchester United (free). PA
Raphinha - Leeds United to Barcelona (£49m). Getty Images
Federico Bernardeschi - Juventus to Toronto FC (free). Getty Images
Andrea Cambiaso - Genoa to Juventus (£5.9m). Getty Images
Arturo Vidal - Inter Milan to Flamengo (free). Getty Images
Mohamed Bayo - Clermont to Lille (£11.8m). AFP
Francisco Trincao - Barcelona to Sporting (loan). Getty Images
Samu Castillejo - AC Milan to Valencia (undisclosed fee). PA
Lewis Ferguson - Aberdeen to Bologna (£3m). PA
Keane Lewis-Potter - Hull City to Brentford (£16m). PA
Alessio Romagnoli - AC Milan to Lazio (free). Getty Images
Nathan Collins - Burnley to Wolves (£20.5m). PA
Andriy Yarmolenko - West Ham United to Al Ain (free). AP Photo
David Ospina - Napoli to Al Nassr (free). Getty Images
Kristian Thorstvedt - Genk to Sassuolo (£8.4m). Reuters
Andreas Pereira -Manchester United to Fulham ( £10m). Getty Images
Gabriel Jesus - Manchester City to Arsenal (£45m). Getty Images
Steven Bergwijn - Tottenham Hotspur to Ajax (£26.5m). AP Photo
Andreas Christensen - Chelsea to Barcelona (free). AFP
Sébastien Haller - Ajax to Borussia Dortmund (£30.8m). AFP
Flynn Downes - Swansea City to West Ham United (£12m). PA
Junior Messias - Crotone to AC Milan (£3.8m). Reuters
Luis Sinisterra - Feyenoord to Leeds United (£21.3m). AFP
Brais Méndez - Celta Vigo to Real Sociedad (£12.8m). Getty Images
Moussa Niakhaté - Mainz to Nottingham Forest (£8.7m). Getty Images
Romeo Lavia - Manchester City to Southmpton (£12m). AP Photo
Tyler Adams - RB Leipzig to Leeds United (£20m). AP
Axel Witsel - Borussia Dortmund to Atletico Madrid (free). EPA
Maya Yoshida - Sampdoria to Schalke (free). AP Photo
Tyrell Malacia - Feyenoord to Manchester United (£12.9m). AP Photo
Zeki Celik - Lille to Roma (£6m). AFP
Ritsu Doan - PSV Eindhoven to Freiburg (£6.5m). AFP
Divock Origi - Liverpool to AC Milan (free). AFP
Rolando Mandragora - Torino to Fiorentina (£7m). EPA
Joao Palhinha - Sporting to Fulham (£17m). Getty Images
Franck Kessie - AC Milan to Barcelona (free). Getty Images
Trezeguet - Aston Villa to Trabzonspor (£3.4m). AFP
Kalvin Phillips - Leeds United to Manchester City (£45m). Reuters
Giulian Biancone - Troyes to Nottingham Forest (£5m). AFP
Giuliano Simeone - Atletico Madrid to Real Zaragoza (loan). EPA
Raoul Bellanova - Cagliari to Inter Milan (loan). Getty Images
Richarlison - Everton to Tottenham (£50 million). PA
Fabio Carvalho - Fulham to Liverpool (£5 million). PA
James Tarkowski Burnley to Everton (free). Getty Images
Sime Vrsaljko - Atletico Madrid to Olympiakos (free). AP Photo
Dean Henderson - Manchester United to Nottingham Forest (loan). PA
Luuk de Jong - Sevilla to PSV Eindhoven (£3.4m). AP Photo
Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Roma to Inter Milan (free). Reuters
Cenk Tosun - Everton to Besiktas (free). Reuters
Andre Onana - Ajax to Inter Milan (free). Getty
Moussa Sissoko - Watford to Nantes (£2m). AFP
Corentin Tolisso - Bayern Munich to Lyon (free). AFP
Vitinha - Porto to Paris Saint-Germain (£34m). AFP
Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea to Inter Milan (loan). PA
Lorenzo Insigne - Napoli to Toronto FC (free). AP
Sven Botman - Lille to Newcastle United (£31.9m). AFP
Takumi Minamino - Liverpool to Monaco (£15.5m). Getty Images
Alphonse Areola - Paris Saint-Germain to West Ham United (£7.8m). AFP
Lucas Leiva - Lazio to Gremo (free). Getty Images
Joselu - Alaves to Espanyol (free). Getty Images
Matt Turner - New England Revolution to Arsenal (£4.7m). Reuters
Fernandinho - Manchester City to Athletico Paranaense (free). PA
Bartol Franjic - Dinamo Zagreb to Wolfsburg (£6.9m). Getty Images
Wahbi Khazri - Saint-Etienne to Montpellier (free). AFP
Tobias Figueiredo - Hull City to Nottingham Forest (free). PA
Pietro Pellegri - Monaco to Tornio (£3.9m). Getty Images
Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City. Getty Images
Malcolm Ebiowei - Derby County to Crystal Palace (undisclosed). PA
Taiwo Awoniyi - Union Berlin to Nottingham Forest (£17m). Getty Images
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid to Los Angeles FC (free). PA
Lucas Alario - Bayer Leverkusen to Eintracht Frankfurt (£5.6m). PA
Sadio Mane - Liverpool to Bayern Munich (£28m). Getty Images
Armindo Sieb - Bayern Munich to Greuther Fürth (undisclosed fee). Getty Images
Nick Pope - Burnley to Newcastle (£10m). PA
Ki-Jana Hoever - Wolves to PSV Eindhoven (loan). PA
Ryan Fredericks - West Ham United to Bournemouth (free). Getty Images
Mario Götze - PSV Eindhoven to Eintracht Frankfurt (£3.4m). Getty Images
Fabio Vieira - Porto to Arsenal (£30m). EPA
Antonio Rudiger - Chelsea to Real Madrid (free). PA
Merih Demiral - Juventus to Atalanta (£17.2m). AFP
Giovanni Simeone - Cagliari to Hellas Verona (£10.3m). AP
Marc Roca - Bayern Munich to Leeds United (£10m). PA
Yves Bissouma - Brighton to Tottenham (£25m). PA
Gavin Bazunu - Manchester City to Southampton (£12m). PA
Darwin Nunez - Benfica to Liverpool (£64.3m). PA
Aurelien Tchouameni - Monaco to Real Madrid (£85.3m). AFP
Nemanja Matic - Manchester United to Roma (free). EPA
Ryan Gravenberch - Ajax to Bayern Munich (£20m). EPA
Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus to Los Angeles FC (released). Getty Images
Cameron Carter-Vickers - Tottenham to Celtic (£6m). AFP
Alexandre Lacazette - Arsenal to Lyon (free transfer). AFP
Updated: July 13, 2022, 3:17 AM