Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has spoken out on being unable to make his debut as a pundit on BBC’s Match of the Day after picking up a painful back injury whilst on holiday.
The Red Devils great, who also played for Everton and MLS side DC United in a long and successful career, has done some punditry in the past, while he’s also tried his hand at management, albeit not too successfully so far.
Rooney is out of work at the moment after recently being sacked as manager of Championship club Birmingham City, and it would have been intriguing to see his analysis to give something new and different to MOTD.
However, he had to pull out, as he explained on X below:
Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little. Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future. Good…
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) April 13, 2024
Rooney punditry: Can he be the next Neville or Carragher?
In recent years, it would be fair to say that Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have set the standard with their insightful and entertaining punditry for Sky Sports.
It would be interesting to see if another big-name former player like Rooney could have a similar impact for the BBC, with many feeling that the MOTD format has grown a little stale in recent years.
Of course, the long-running highlights show is still well-watched and has good pundits as it is with the likes of Alan Shearer and Ian Wright, but viewers will surely be hoping that Rooney can make it onto the show some time soon.
Rooney is one of the best players of the modern era after a great career with United and England, but it may be that punditry is the best next step for him in his post-playing days after struggling to get his coaching career to take off.
The 38-year-old surely has something to offer the game, so if he can’t quite get a management career going it would be interesting to hear his analysis and opinions on one of the major broadcasters.
