Wayne Rooney will await clarification from Everton on the club's future management situation before deciding whether to end his Goodison Park comeback after only one season.
The 32-year-old has an offer from DC United to move to Major League Soccer (MLS) in July, with the Washington club willing to give the former England captain a two-year contract. DC United have held talks with Rooney's representative, Paul Stretford, but are one of several overseas opportunities available to the boyhood Evertonian.
Rooney's current preference, however, is to remain at Everton where he is under contract until next summer. Everton also have an option to extend his Goodison career by a further 12 months, but doubts over whether it will be activated, coupled with his reduced playing time under Sam Allardyce, have left Rooney considering a late career switch. Everton have denied, however, that their leading goalscorer this season has asked to leave.
Mixed campaign
The former Manchester United striker has had a mixed campaign in a poor Everton side following his return last summer from Old Trafford. Rooney scored 11 goals in an impressive first half of the season, securing several important victories in the process, but his last goal came on December 18th and he has been frustrated by his deployment under Allardyce. A substitution in the 57th minute of the Merseyside derby last month prompted a furious response from Rooney, who had been withdrawn at the same point of the home defeat by Manchester City the previous week.
Rooney’s opportunities next season would appear limited with Allardyce as manager, but the 63-year-old’s future at Everton is also uncertain. England’s all-time leading goalscorer wants clarity on Allardyce’s position, or whether he features in the next manager’s plans, before deciding whether to move with his young family to the US.
Key issues
Farhad Moshiri, Everton's major shareholder, has several key issues to address beyond Rooney's future. Despite Allardyce's claims to the contrary, Moshiri is expected to commence another overhaul of the club's management structure, with Marcel Brands, the technical director of the Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, lined up for a similar role on Merseyside.
Brands's arrival would affect Steve Walsh's position as director of football and, as well as a replacement for Allardyce, Moshiri must also appoint a successor to the departing chief executive Robert Elstone and advance plans for a new stadium at Bramley Moore dock.
– Guardian
