(Reuters) – Wayne Rooney has revealed that he turned down an offer to manage in the Saudi Pro League before accepting the opportunity to lead Birmingham City. The former Manchester United and England striker, who has previously coached DC United and Derby County, was appointed as Birmingham manager while the club occupies the sixth position in the second-tier Championship.
Garry Cook, Birmingham’s chief executive, stated that he had attempted to bring Rooney to Saudi Arabia when he held the position of CEO of the Saudi Pro League. Cook mentioned, “We discussed Saudi Arabia. It wasn’t going to happen,” during a joint press conference with Rooney on Thursday. Rooney’s decision not to move to Saudi Arabia follows his former England teammate Steven Gerrard, who became the manager of Al-Ettifaq in July.
Rooney clarified that his decision was not a disrespect towards managers who choose to go to Saudi Arabia, stating, “For me, I felt my development, my pathway, was a different way. I think for myself, firstly to get back into English football is great. It’s what I’ve wanted to do. I’ve had opportunities over the last four to six weeks at other clubs as well, but since speaking to Birmingham, it was a really easy decision. I want to be successful, it’s clear this club wants to be successful, and everything we spoke about was very similar.”
Birmingham’s next match is against Middlesbrough on October 21.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter)
