Wayne Rooney's wife Coleen will not be joining him in the United States after his return to football management with DC United.
Rooney was unveiled as the new manager of the MLS side on Tuesday after walking out as boss of Derby County last month. Coleen is not following her husband to Washington after previously criticising the city in texts sent to former friend Rebekah Vardy.
Wayne, 36, spent two years at DC in the latter stages of his playing career between 2018 and 2020 scoring 23 goals in 48 MLS matches. According to The Sun , Coleen wants a close relative to keep Rooney company in the States and keep him on the straight and narrow. It is thought Coleen's brother Anthony McLoughlin could be accompanying Wayne to the U.S.
The former England star was arrested in the US in December 2018, charged with public intoxication and use of profanity in public. According to police reports from the time of the incident, the arresting officer was dispatched after receiving a report of a person trying to go through a secure door.
Further reports say Rooney was left “disorientated” by prescribed sleeping tablets and “some alcohol consumption” that he took on a flight from Saudi Arabia following a promotional business trip. Rooney was said to have had "a strong odour of alcoholic beverage about his person, slurred speech, and was unsteady on his feet." He was taken into custody but released and was handed a mere $25 fine plus $91 costs.
In Coleen's high-profile trial against fellow WAG Vardy earlier this year, she confessed that when the family lived in the States previously she was so miserable that she "cried every night". A source told the Sun: "Wayne has assured Coleen he won’t let her down. Things are different to when he was a player and he needs to lead by example on and off the field so he won’t be slipping back into bad habits. But Coleen is still worried.
"Although she trusts Wayne she knows he can be easily led which is why she’d like her brother or one of Wayne’s brothers to be out there too to keep an eye on him. It would make Coleen feel a lot happier. It’s something they did before. It helped to keep her up to date with what was going on, and Coleen wants to keep a close eye on him."
Rooney is now preparing for his second managerial role after a tumultuous time at Derby. He had to endure numerous failed takeovers, the club entering administration and relegation from the Championship.
He wrote a lengthy message to the club's supporters upon his shock departure, saying: "I will remember my time at Derby with great pride and affection and would like to thank all my staff, players and of course the fans for their incredible support. I will never forget you and hope to see you all again in the near future and in happier times."
After being unveiled by his new employers, he also hit back at how some have slated his decision to move Stateside. He said: “I’ve seen a few articles, certainly back in England, on this [being] possibly a backward step in my managerial career. I really found that a bit disrespectful to this league.
"I think as a player, playing in the main [part] of my career at the top level, you can really choose which club you want to go to. As a manager I’m at the beginning of that journey. I’m at a point where I have to put the work in."
