Fresh twist emerges in Everton manager hunt, fans will be fuming - opinion

Following The Daily Mirror’s David Maddock update on Everton’s pursuit of a new manager, there has been a fresh twist on Friday afternoon.

On Tuesday night, Maddock said: “Now the dust has settled a little, it is clear Pereira is still very much in the running to secure the job, with Lampard the other strong contender after coming across well in his initial talk with the owner.

“Rooney could still make a late play for the job if he feels the club really want him, though that is unlikely at this stage of the process, while the executive will scrutinise Ferguson’s plans on how he intends to develop the team.”

But now, Rooney has revealed that he has turned down an approach from the Toffees, and is insistent that he wants to continue on in his job as Derby County manager.

While Vitor Pereira and Frank Lampard now look to be the main contenders for the job, Rooney’s work at Derby hasn’t gone unnoticed – especially when you consider the difficult circumstances the Rams find themselves in the Championship.

He has lost just eight of the 27 games they have played in the league since his appointment, picking up 35 points in the process, and has them genuinely battling to avoid what looked like inevitable relegation to League One.

Speaking after speculation recently emerged linking Rooney with the top job at Goodison Park, Noel Whelan said: “He’s managing to produce some amazing results at that club despite the fact that they’re on the verge of going under.

“I think he’s someone who they should look at, absolutely. He can really organise and fire up those players and get them to show a bit of fight – and that’s something they’ve really lacked recently.

“You certainly can’t ignore him for this job, I think he could be appointed now