Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney will reportedly be joined in the US by a close relative as his wife Coleen and their four children stay in the UK.
Rooney was unveiled as the new manager of MLS side DC United on Tuesday after leaving Derby County earlier this summer. Coleen is not moving to Washington after criticising the city in texts to former friend Rebekah Vardy, the wife of Leicester star Jamie.
These texts were made public during the ongoing 'Wagatha Christie' trial. Rooney enjoyed an 18-month spell at DC United during the last few years of his glittering playing career, winning the club's MVP award and being named in the MLS' Best XI in 2018.
According to The Sun, Coleen wants a close relative - such as her brother Anthony McLoughlin - to chaperone Rooney in the US. The former England star was arrested in the US in December 2018, charged with public intoxication and use of profanity in public.
"Wayne has assured Coleen he won’t let her down," a source told The Sun. "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."
Will Wayne Rooney be a success at DC United? Let us know in the comments below!
Another source added: "Wayne is really excited about the new job. Unlike Coleen, he loved his time in America and he built up a great relationship with US footie fans.
"He hopes that if he can do a good job, it will make it easier for him to secure a job in the Premier League — it’s a huge career move. It remains his ambition to one day manage Man Utd. That’s the dream but he knows he will have to work really hard to achieve it."
As revealed during the Wagatha Christie trial, Coleen described living in Washington as 'tough' and said it was a "nice place to visit but different to live". She also claimed there's "not loads for the kids to do" and the city is "quite behind the UK".
Despite these concerns, Coleen reportedly gave Rooney her 'full blessing' to become DC's new manager as 'she knows it's a big opportunity for him'. No team in the MLS have picked up fewer points this season than DC, who were thrashed 7-0 by Philadelphia Union in their most recent game. The Washington club haven't won silverware since 2014.
"Any major decisions I make like this are discussed with my wife," said Rooney at his unveiling on Tuesday. "My family will, for the time being, stay in England and come over and visit. There were a few other clubs - both in England and in Europe - who got in touch.
"My plan really was to, after Derby County, take a bit of a break and then see what comes up. Once my agent called and said DC had come in, it was quite quick really - probably within 24 hours."
