Man United legend lands major role on new BBC show and sends early warning to guests – report

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney is one of many former players from the club who have moved into media circles since retiring from professional football.

Rooney has tried his hand at management, but after briefly impressing at Derby County, unsuccessful spells at Plymouth Argyle and Birmingham City have seen his reputation as a manager significantly decline.

The former England international has appeared as a guest on multiple television shows, including Match of the Day, and has co-hosted the controversial ‘Stick to United’ as part of The Overlap umbrella led by Gary Neville.

New show for Wazza

As reported by The Mirror, viewers are now set to be treated to a brand new show featuring United’s all-time leading goalscorer, titled ‘Can You Beat Wayne Rooney?’

The programme will invite celebrity guests to challenge Rooney’s football knowledge with quiz questions related to his career, which will undoubtedly lead to a trip down memory lane for the star.

A statement from the BBC outlines the show’s premise, which will be hosted by comedian Alex Brooker.

“Every question unlocks a story from Wayne’s extraordinary journey through football, taking audiences behind the scenes of dressing rooms, title races, international tournaments and some of the sport’s most iconic moments.

Whether revisiting famous goals, legendary teammates or career-defining matches, Can You Beat Wayne Rooney? offers football fans a unique opportunity to hear the stories behind the headlines while watching Wayne’s competitive side emerge as he tries to protect his reputation against a fresh challenger every week,” it read.

The show will be streamed on BBC Sport’s Football YouTube channel and BBC iPlayer, with Rooney now firmly appearing to have more interest in becoming a TV personality than making a return to the touchline.

Rooney has said he is looking forward to showing the “competitive side of my personality, because I know that’s something the people love to see” before warning guests they will not find it easy to beat him by declaring “I don’t like losing.”

The programme is scheduled to run on a weekly basis, with no official launch date released as yet.

Criticism of INEOS

With regard to matters at his old club, Rooney was one of many to criticise the summer transfer window delivered to Michael Carrick, who is now under pressure to keep his job after a poor start to the season that has seen a drab Manchester Derby defeat, dropped points to Hull City and Everton, and an embarrassing early exit from the Carabao Cup.

Rooney admitted he was left baffled by the club’s decision to focus so heavily on the midfield rebuild, leaving no spare funds to address the defensive issues United are currently experiencing or to add more power to the front line.

As an ex-teammate and good friend of Carrick, Rooney will no doubt be desperate for him to turn the tide at Old Trafford, which must start with three points at Fulham on Sunday in what is now a crucial Premier League fixture before the international break.

Featured image Richard Heathcote via Getty Images