Wayne Rooney is amongst the names being considered at Everton following the club’s decision to sack Rafael Benitez.
Everton announced the decision to sack Benitez on Sunday, following a dreadful run of one win in 13 league games that leaves the Toffees just six points above the Premier League’s relegation places.
Benitez’s appointment was an unpopular one last summer and he has now been fired after just six months in charge, with Everton having compiled a shortlist of candidates to replace the Spaniard at Goodison Park.
According to Sky Sports, Rooney is understood to be in the frame for the position in what would represent a romantic return to the club where he came through the ranks and had two spells as a first-team player.
Rooney has won admirers for his work at cash-strapped Derby County, where he has guided the Rams within eight points of safety despite a 21-point deduction this term for entering administration and historical financial breaches.
The 36-year-old would be reluctant to leave Derby having moved the club off the bottom of the division and within reach of an incredible escape, but the lure of Everton could prove too difficult to turn down.
Graham Potter and Frank Lampard are two other candidates under consideration, whilst there is believed to be support for former Everton boss Roberto Martinez within the club’s hierarchy.
Martinez would be open to a return to the Premier League, though a move back to club football for the Belgium manager is deemed unlikely before the 2022 World Cup in November.
