Former Everton captain Phil Jagielka believes Wayne Rooney is a potential replacement for Frank Lampard at his old club.
Everton are on the hunt for a new manager following Lampard’s sacking on Monday. The Blues announced the departure of the 44-year-old shortly after 8pm.
Former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has emerged as Farhad Moshiri’s preferred candidate to succeed Lampard, but Jagielka believes Rooney has all the attributes needed to turn the fortunes of the Goodison Park club around.
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“Wayne Rooney knows enough about Everton to do his best, only time will tell,” the former Blues skipper told Sky Bet.
“It's not an easy fix – Wayne's been in a troubled Derby County set up as part of his managerial career, so he's got a little bit of an understanding there, but it's the Premier League.
“It's the hardest division in the world in my eyes, so I'm sure he'd have a good go. We'll never know how well Wayne does until he either gets the Everton job or another job in the Premier League.”
Before he added: “Wayne Rooney was totally different as a player. He was quite single minded and fired up as a player – that's the way he played his game.
“As a manager, he was a bit more relaxed. He gets his points across in quite a cool and calm manner, but you could see his love for the game both in being a manager and as a player.
“As a manager, you understand that you can't go around ridiculously fired up and aggressive all the time. There's time for everything and he will manage in the Premier League one day, and he'll be successful.”
Defeat at fellow strugglers West Ham United on Saturday was Everton's ninth loss in 12 Premier League games. The Blues are currently second from bottom of the table with 15 points from 20 matches, above Southampton on goal difference.
“Relegation has got to be a genuine possibility for Everton,” Jagielka said. “With the number of games that's gone and where they are in the league, they’ll be fully aware that they are massively in that battle.
“It’s something that I’ve never wanted to see – I didn’t want to see it last season – but it’s a tough division and they need to start picking up points very soon because if teams put a run together, they could be caught adrift.
“They won't be panicking yet, but they're also very aware that three points need to come quickly.”
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