The former England and Manchester United ace is in charge of Championship crisis club Derby but has been linked with a fairytale return to become manager of his boyhood club Everton
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Another week, another Premier League legend linked with a move back to their spiritual home on Merseyside.
Last week, in the build-up to Aston Villa’s trip to Liverpool, all the noise was concerning Steven Gerrard and the possibility, or more likely probability, of him eventually getting the top job at Anfield.
Flash forward a few days and now it’s matters involving the blue half of the city that dominate the agenda.
Rafa Benitez was always likely to be in trouble as soon as he went on a poor run of results.
Seven defeats in nine games is far from a mini-rut however, and his short-lived reign at Goodison Park could well be about to end abruptly.
Reports now claim that Everton want former Toffees star Wayne Rooney as the replacement.
On paper, the match looks a more-than-sensible one if not entirely perfect.
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Rooney has not so much worked with one arm behind his back at Derby, more both arms tied together, as well as his legs whilst being blindfolded.
Body blow after body blow has come in the form of a transfer embargo, numerous failed takeovers, the club entering administration and points deductions.
At present, Rooney’s side sit rock-bottom of the Championship – 17 points adrift of safety thanks to those aforementioned deductions.
But he has won plenty of plaudits not only for his statesman-like management of what is clearly a difficult situation but also for sticking in there when many would surely have long scarpered.
Let’s not forget that this is his first management job and it has probably already given him more problems to contend with that other managers might not experience in a decade in the dugout.
Derby look resigned to relegation to the third tier this season but if that does happen then you cannot level too much criticism at Rooney.
On merit his side would be four points clear of the relegation places.
Rooney would surely be much more advised to hold out and stay on his current path than jump in at the deep end and take the Goodison gig.
After all, what is the rush? At just 36 he could conceivably be still enjoying a playing career, never mind be contemplating becoming manager of his boyhood club.
The Everton role is likely to come around again numerous times over the next few years by which time Rooney would have more experience under his belt than at present – he has bossed just 46 league games since being given the reins at Pride Park on a permanent basis last January.
Jurgen Klopp made a salient point regarding Gerrard, who many expect to succeed the German at some point.
Klopp made the link to another top flight legend who perhaps jumped into his dream job too soon – something for Rooney to perhaps consider.
He said of Gerrard’s future Anfield homecoming: “I think it will definitely happen – and it will be good for everybody.
“Everything he did so far looks good and he’s going in absolutely the right direction. The only problem is when is the right moment for that?
“We saw it with Frank [Lampard] at Chelsea. Stevie is doing really well but is very young from a manager’s point of view.
“When is the right moment to take the manager’s job here? Not because he’s not able to do it but how long do you want to do it?
“Is it the last job you want to do? The second job? Those are questions I can’t answer.”
We could be getting close to the point where Rooney needs to confront a similar quandary.
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