Wayne Rooney turns down opportunity to interview for return to Everton as boss

Wayne Rooney has turned down an interview for the vacant manager’s job at Everton.

The former Toffees forward, who has impressed under difficult circumstances at Derby this season, had been reported as a candidate for the Goodison Park job after the dismissal of Rafael Benitez.

He said at a Rams press conference on Friday afternoon: “Everton approached my agent and asked me to interview for the vacant job, which I turned down.”

Rooney added: “I believe I will be a Premier League manager. I believe I’m ready for that, 100 per cent. And if that is with Everton one day in the future that would be absolutely great.

“But I’ve got a job here that I’m doing at Derby County which is an important job to me.”

He admitted he had to think long and hard about the offer.

“They got in touch with my agent, my agent let the administrators know as well, and yes of course it was a difficult decision for me (to turn it down),” Rooney said.

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