Wayne Rooney offers honest Liam Rosenior verdict as Chelsea ‘plan’ revealed

Wayne Rooney, who worked with Liam Rosenior at Derby County, has given his verdict on the newly-appointed Chelsea head coach and has asked a big question

Wayne Rooney has lauded Liam Rosenior for his “coaching ability” and believes he has all the credentials to be a success at Chelsea, but has questioned whether he will be given the time at Stamford Bridge.

Rosenior was appointed Blues head coach last month to replace Enzo Maresca and has made an impressive start to life in west London. In the 41-year-old’s first 11 matches in all competitions, Chelsea have won eight and have shown signs of adapting to the new head coach’s style of play already.

Chelsea are now in a race to finish in the Champions League places – that could be secured with a fifth-place finish, though it is yet to be officially confirmed – with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United. Rosenior will be hoping his impressive start will continue in the coming weeks as we enter the business end of the season.

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Rooney worked with Rosenior during their days at Derby County. From January 2021 to June 2022, Rosenior worked under Rooney at Pride Park as his assistant manager and the Manchester United legend is very fond of the Chelsea head coach.

“It’s a big change for him, he’s gone into a massive football club,” Rooney said on The Overlap Fan Debate. “His time with me at Derby, then Hull, then Strasbourg, I think there was a plan there with Strasbourg and Chelsea but it’s come a little bit sooner than probably Chelsea and Liam expected. When you’re going in, of course you’re going in and you’ve got big players there, you’ve got World Cup winners there.

“He has to make an impact. He’s tried to and sometimes less is more. Sometimes being behind closed doors with your team and doing whatever you’re doing and sometimes less is more. What I will say, he is an unbelievable coach. When I worked with him, he helped me massively, helping me organise the team; on the training pitch and how he coaches.

“There is no doubt about his coaching ability. The challenge for Liam now is managing these top players. That’s the biggest challenge for him. He’s a confident person and a confident lad, so it’s going to be interesting to see, between here and the end of the season as the fixtures are getting tougher and tougher. The question is, does he get time?”

Rosenior has been ridiculed by some during his short time at Stamford Bridge. Whether it is his mannerisms or what he has said in press conferences, Rosenior has been mocked. Some have even accused Rosenior of acting up for the cameras, but Rooney is adamant his former colleague is being himself.

“That’s the thing with Liam Rosenior; you know him, but you don’t know him,” Rooney said. “You know his name, you know he’s played – and no disrespect to – Hull and Brighton and teams like that. He’s had a career in England where everyone knows him but they actually don’t know him. Now everyone is looking at him and asking, ‘is he putting this on? Is he trying to show he’s the big man now?’, but he’s being himself.”

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