'Been in touch' - Manchester United hero Wayne Rooney breaks silence over potential boxing debut

Wayne Rooney has admitted he has held talks regarding an exhibition boxing bout but insists his main focus is getting back into football management.

The former Manchester United star was sacked by Birmingham City in January after just 15 games at the helm and is now looking for his next job having coached US franchise DC United and League One Derby County in recent years.

Reports earlier this week claimed that boxing representatives had been in contact with the 38-year-old regarding a route into celebrity fighting. Organisation ‘Misfits’ have reached out having staged fights between YouTube personalities and influencers including KSI and Jake Paul.

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Rooney was asked about the news by former United teammate Gary Neville this week and the former striker refused to close the door on a boxing debut, albeit clarified what his main future intentions are.

Asked if he is due to step into the ring, Rooney coyly grinned: “Never know!” before adding: “No, they’ve been in touch and asked the question but I think at the minute, I want to focus on getting back into management, not boxing.

“There’s been a few [people in touch] and obviously that Misfits have been in touch and it’s been all over the news. But I want to focus on getting back into management, that’s my focus. I’ve seen it all over the past couple of days and the headlines but my main focus is getting back into football.”

Rooney comes from a boxing background within his family and used to attend a club in Liverpool in his youth before concentrating solely on football.

The attacker hit the headlines in 2015 when a video surfaced of him being