Arizona Tribune - Rooney 'frustrated' at no new deal contact by DC United: report

The 37-year-old former England national team and Manchester United striker is in his second season as manager of DC United, a team he led into the playoffs in 2018 and 2019 as a player.

Rooney's current contract expires in December and while it has a two-way option for 2024, both he and the club must agree on continuing for the deal to activate -- and Rooney hasn't heard from DC United since an initial outreach by Rooney and his agent about two months ago, according to the Post.

"I am slightly disappointed and frustrated there has been no contact for two months," Rooney told the newspaper.

"We asked about a new deal. We can sit down and talk about it. We haven't heard back. Either way, I can take whatever the situation is. I was hoping we would have, either way, at least spoken about it. That hasn't been the case."

Rooney took over in July 2022, midway through last season, and while the team finished bottom of the Eastern Conference he oversaw a rebuild of the club's roster with increased investment in the playing squad ahead of this season.

But DC United could miss the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. United ranks 10th in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Chicago for the final playoff berth, with eight wins and six drawn from 26 matches.

Since a July 4 win over Dallas, Rooney's squad has dropped four matches, drawn two and won only once.

"There's a lot of uncertainty amongst the (assistant) coaches and the players as well," Rooney said. "I'm sure the players would like to know what's in the future, in terms of the manager and the coaches.

"If the club wants me to wait, so be it, but I need to make sure I look after myself and my coaches as well."

The club has been without a general manager since Lucy Rushton was fired last October, with president of soccer operations Dave Kasper and technical director Stewart Mairs handling roster decisions.

"We asked to sit down and speak because planning for next season needs to go ahead," Rooney told the Post. "So we asked two months ago where everything was at, are we moving forward or not moving forward -- if that's the case from their point of view -- and we haven't heard back.

"That's frustrating, because either way, I'd rather know what's the plan because we have to plan for next season. We need to do it earlier rather than later.

"The fact we haven't heard back is probably signaling one thing, but I'm sure they'll have their reasons for that. So I'll wait and see."

Rooney is in the United States while his wife and family have remained based in England. While that dynamic influenced Rooney's choice not to ink a long-term deal last year, he said he wants to extend his US stay in a bid to boost DC United's fortunes and make his own case as a quality manager.

Ch.P.Lewis--AT