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WAYNE ROONEY MAKES PAINFUL CONFESSION ABOUT HIS KIDS

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney spent time managing overseas and across England but those roles didn't come without their challenges - on and off the field

Wayne Rooney has opened up(Image: Marco Luzzani, Getty Images)

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has opened up about how management kept him away from his children for extended periods. The Premier League icon hung up his boots in 2021 after a stellar playing career and, like many retired footballers, transitioned into management.

His final playing stint was with Derby County, where he became permanent manager after retiring. After leaving the Rams, Rooney spent just over a year managing DC United in America before returning to England. His spell at Birmingham City proved short-lived, being dismissed in early 2024 before taking his most recent position with Plymouth Argyle, which ended later that year.

"I didn't see my kids for months and months when I was living in DC," Rooney disclosed on The Smith Bros podcast. "At Plymouth, I lived there by myself - you'd see them if you were lucky, once a week.

"Going into the punditry work, it's not as 'every day'. Obviously with match days or weekends (it's busier), Amazon's every Tuesday, fly out Monday, fly home Wednesday, which is three days.

Rooney was at the helm for DC United between 2022 and 2023(Image: Getty)

"I just do my podcast from home. I've got more time now to go and watch my kids play and be around that more so I'm happy with it."

Following the end of his stint at Plymouth, Rooney has transitioned into the world of punditry, appearing across various broadcasters whilst also fronting his own BBC programme - The Wayne Rooney Show.

As the Toffees legend explained, working in the media allows him to be more present for his kids, even whilst juggling a packed schedule.

The former England captain shares four sons with wife Colleen - who finished as runner-up on 2024's I'm A Celeb. Eldest lad Kai, now 16, is coming through the ranks at United's academy, forging his own path in the beautiful game.

Wayne Rooney, Kai Rooney and Coleen Rooney(Image: Photo by JMEnternational/Getty Images)

Then there's Klay, Kit and Cass, though Kit has stepped away from football. Klay follows in Kai's footsteps at United whilst youngest Cass is developing at Everton's academy.

During the podcast, Rooney opened up about Kai's progress. His firstborn landed a boot sponsorship deal with Puma aged just 12 back in 2022, though he's unable to sport them whilst playing for United's youth sides due to academy regulations.

Rooney revealed: "He's obviously with Puma but when he plays for the Manchester United U16s, something which I really like is he can't wear his Puma boots.

"All the academy have to wear the same boots. They do it because there's people from areas where they can't afford certain boots so I think it's really good.

"But he's played for the U18s a few times and he can then wear his Puma boots. He's doing well to be fair to him."

- Dylan James

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MAN UNITED ICON WAYNE ROONEY GETS FINAL RESPONSE FROM VIRGIL VAN DIJK AFTER PUBLIC WAR OF WORDS

Virgil van Dijk has responded to Wayne Rooney's recent Liverpool criticism.(Image: Amazon Prime)

Manchester United icon and their record goal-scorer Wayne Rooney got a final response from Virgil van Dijk after criticism of Liverpool's recent form.

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney received a frosty response from Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk, after recent criticism of both the defender and Arne Slot's side.

The two Premier League champions have engaged in a public exchange over recent weeks, following Rooney's assertion that the Dutchman's performances had dipped below his usual standards.

The ex-United forward called on van Dijk to hold the likes of Mohamed Salah, and others, to account for their poor performances, following a difficult spell, losing six of their previous seven fixtures before a 2-0 victory against Aston Villa at the weekend.

Liverpool then delivered an impressive display against Real Madrid, with Alexis Mac Allister netting the winner.

Following that success, Van Dijk spoke with Amazon Prime Video on various subjects and, with Rooney present on the punditry panel, their public disagreement was inevitably addressed.

"It's easy to say now because we've won twice in a row [it's going well]," he stated. "In a world of chaos we have to stay calm and keep the perspective of things. There is so much football to be played, so many twists and turns that can happen. At times, the noise was a lot [Smirk]."

Presenter Gabby Logan interjected: "Are you looking at anyone in particular?"

Van Dijk responded: "No, no, not at all. I think it's very important to put things into perspective, keep your head down, working and get out the situation, because our quality is not the issue we have.

"It will always be made bigger, but I think it's important that top players, those who have played at the top - who have also dealt with a lot of difficult moments - put things into perspective, as well.

"Of course [the criticism has been fair], if you are losing games as a Liverpool player, for four or five in a row, then it's a fair criticism.

"That's fairly normal in that sense, but I think it's over the top at times as well. But that's because we live in a world with so many platforms and so many people can say stuff."

Rooney, 40, then commented: "I'm not saying anything [laughing]... I think I've spurred them on and put them on a winning streak."

Following Rooney's explanation of events, the Liverpool captain wrapped things up: "I think if you watch games, you'd see I take responsibility.

"I thought the comment about me signing my new deal and then all is fine, I thought that was a bit [kisses teeth], but that is my personal opinion."

- Kieran Horn and Matty Hewitt

RICKY HUTTON FUNERAL: SON CAMPBELL PAYS AN EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO IN MEMORIAL SERVICE

A funeral procession started at the Cheshire Cheese pub and was led by the famous Reliant Robin van from Only Fools and Horses.

The coffin of Ricky Hatton is carried into Manchester Cathedral, by his brother Matthew Hatton, front right, and son Campbell Hatton, front left (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire)

Ricky Hatton’s son Campbell paid an emotional tribute to the former two-weight world champion at his funeral in Manchester, saying: “I can’t explain how much I’m going to miss you, dad.”

Hatton, a popular, larger-than-life character who unified the light-welterweight division and also won a world welterweight title, was found dead aged 46 at his home in Hyde on September 14.

Campbell Hatton, who followed his father into boxing and won 14 of his 16 professional fights before retiring this year, said at the memorial service: “I can’t explain how much I’m going to miss you, dad, and that we won’t be making any new memories – but the ones we did I will cherish for ever.”

A funeral procession started at 9.45am at the Cheshire Cheese pub – Hatton’s local – and was led by the famous Reliant Robin van from Only Fools and Horses. Hatton was a huge fan of the show and once bought one of the original three-wheelers for £4,000.

The cortege included stops at Hatton’s boxing gym and the AO Arena, where he enjoyed some of his finest moments, the highlight indisputably being a win over the celebrated Kostya Tszyu on a raucous night 20 years ago to capture his first world title.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets in Manchester to pay tribute to Hatton, with a private memorial service at the city’s cathedral starting at midday.

In attendance was Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, a long-time friend of Hatton who accompanied him on his ring walk alongside brother Noel against Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas in 2008.

The great and good of British boxing also turned out, with Tyson Fury, Tony Bellew and Frank Bruno, as well as former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff and former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney, arriving at the cathedral.

Also among the mourners was Hatton’s former trainer Billy Graham, from whom he was virtually inseparable on his journey from the amateur ranks to the top of the boxing world.

Hatton’s mother Carol said in a statement read on her behalf at the service: “‘The Hitman’ was adored by his army of fans – the People’s Champion, and he would say that’s how he would want to be remembered.

“Long before this accolade he was our little champion from the day he was born.”

Following the service, the commemorative march will head to the Etihad Stadium, the home of Hatton’s beloved Manchester City.

Hatton’s all-action style brought him 45 wins and three defeats from 48 contests, but it was his down-to-earth demeanour that especially endeared him to fellow professionals and fans around the world.

That was evidenced by tens of thousands following him to Las Vegas, where he fought the two pound-for-pound greatest fighters of his era in Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, with stories of UK fans singing ‘there’s only one Ricky Hatton’ and drinking Sin City dry going down in boxing folklore.

Hatton suffered his first professional defeat when he was stopped by Mayweather in 2007, while a vicious second-round knockout by Pacquiao two years later precipitated his fall from top-level boxing.

A misguided comeback attempt against Vyacheslav Senchenko in 2012 marked the first public admission Hatton was struggling to cope in retirement.

He was a tireless ambassador for mental health charities as well as Manchester-based Barnabus, which supports homeless and vulnerable people, and turned his hand to being a successful trainer in an attempt to fill the void.

Having participated in a no-scoring exhibition against Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022, Hatton announced in July he would return to the ring in a professional bout in Dubai in December.

He had resumed training and his family said he had been “in a good place” and “excited for the future” before his death, for which Greater Manchester Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

- David Charlesworth

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PRINCE WILLIAM'S FOUR-WORD RESPONSE TO REPORTERS AFTER NIGHT OUT

The Prince of Wales attended Aston Villa's latest match

Getty

The Prince of Wales was seen punching the air after watching Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League quarter-final.

Prince William, 42, watched his beloved football team secure a 3-0 victory against Belgian side, Club Brugge, at Villa Park in Birmingham on Wednesday.

And the future King appeared to confirm that he'll be there to support the club as Villa face French side Paris Saint-Germain in the next round.

He told journalists, "See you in Paris" as he walked to his car after the match.

William was joined in the stands by his childhood friend and property mogul, Thomas van Straubenzee, who is godfather to the Prince's daughter, Princess Charlotte.

It is the first time Villa have been in the Champions League and they are targeting the club's first top-flight European trophy since they won the European Cup in 1982 – the year William was born.

The Prince has passed down his love of football to his children, with Prince George also an avid Aston Villa fan.

William and Kate took George and Charlotte to watch their first Villa match as they played Norwich City at Carrow Road in 2019.

The day before their match on Tuesday, William watched the squad in training from the sidelines and speaking with players Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash, before a public engagement at Sporting Khalsa FC in Willenhall, West Midlands.

The Prince visited the Club to learn more about its referee training course, part of the FA's Reflective and Representative campaign, which aims to recruit 1,000 people from black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds into refereeing roles.

William joined participants as they learned about fouls, whistle tones and flag signalling.

The royal has been patron of the FA since last summer, having previously held the role as President since 2006.

William's passion for the beautiful school goes back to his school days, with the Prince talking about his earliest memories of playing football on COPA90's Game of 5s episode in 2022.

Speaking to England players Harry Kane and Declan Rice, he said: "I was a defender, like these guys, I was stuck in the back and told to just tackle, safety in the back, don't put him in the front!"

He later added: "Quite a strong memory of early days was donning an England shirt and going down the pub with my mates and watching England play in big tournaments."

"When Wayne Rooney appeared on scene, that was a big moment for me growing up.

"There was something very powerful, really interesting about how Wayne played and the steel he brought to the England team."

- Danielle Stacey

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LIVERPOOL, SALAH SHOW CHELSEA'S KIDS WHY EXPERIENCE MATTERS

LIVERPOOL, England -- A game which brought together two sides building for the future was decided by a player whose legacy has long since been established. There wasn't much between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday but the home side prevailed with a 2-1 victory which took them back to the Premier League summit courtesy of Mohamed Salah's enduring ability to deliver match-defining moments.

Salah was not at his devastating best -- midfielder Curtis Jones produced a memorable all-action display en route to netting the winning goal on 51 minutes -- but the 32-year-old forward produced a sublime cross to assist him after earlier opening the scoring from the penalty spot.

It is the 34th time he has registered a goal and assist in a Premier League game -- only Wayne Rooney (36) has done it more often. And, after Chelsea had looked the better side early on, his emphatically converted 29th-minute penalty wrestled control of the game in Liverpool's favour and took his league tally to 162, tied with Jermain Defoe at ninth on the all-time goal-scorers list. His 232 goal involvements also puts him tied sixth along with Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero on that measure.

This continuation of Salah's end product has helped new manager Arne Slot settle in smoothly to the daunting task of replacing Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside, with seven wins from his first eight league games to top the table. The Egypt international has seven goals in 11 games across all competitions this season and perhaps benefitted from a freshness engineered by the decision not to play for his country in Mauritania a few days earlier due to a heightened risk of injury from that match taking place on a plastic pitch.

Slot knows he needs that buy-in from Liverpool's talisman -- with new contract talks looming as his existing deal approaches the final six months -- also explaining why he highlighted his work off the ball as the home side hung on to their lead

"He is important for us, for the numbers he has but it was a bit of a funny remark after the game, I said to Trent [Alexander-Arnold] 'you have some competition now' because I saw today that Mo can play as a right full-back as well," Slot said afterwards. "So the defensive effort he put in today to help the team in that part is what pleased me just as much as his goal and assist."

Liverpool needed to put in a defensive shift as Chelsea put in a performance which will encourage Blues boss Enzo Maresca that they are on the right track: the Blues had more touches in the opposition box in the first half of a league game than any other team in four years, registered 57% possession, and had consistent spells where they looked more threatening.

Cole Palmer is a wondrous talent but, in contrast to Salah, he wasn't quite able to influence proceedings as he would have liked, firing over just before the interval and wasting a couple of shooting opportunities in the second half. The 22-year-old is quickly establishing himself as one of the Premier League's finest matchwinners, but Salah has held that status for years.

In recent times, Chelsea have deliberately pursued a policy of predominantly signing players aged 24 and under. But for all their lavish spending, they don't possess a battle-hardened talent of Salah's pedigree to help polish rough performances during a period of transition. (The enduring irony, of course, is that Chelsea signed Salah aged 21 back in 2014 but that was during an era when young players found the route to the exit door much easier than the first-team dressing room.)

Salah's penalty -- won by Jones after a foul by Levi Colwill -- stopped Chelsea in their tracks and on another afternoon where VAR checks were frequent and lengthy, they required a review in their favour to avoid conceding a second penalty as replays showed goalkeeper Robert Sánchez just got the ball ahead of Jones before taking him out.

Chelsea equalised three minutes after the restart as Nicolas Jackson collected Moisés Caicedo's pass and finished superbly past Caoimhín Kelleher, deputising for the injured Alisson. But after Salah fed Jones, with Reece James caught fractionally deep and playing him onside, the England midfielder steered a fine effort past Sanchez to restore Liverpool's lead within moments.

The Blues, to their credit, were undeterred. They were beaten 4-1 here back in January under Mauricio Pochettino, yet they finished the game the stronger side this time. It just wasn't enough.

In the final phase we saw perhaps the clearest distinction between Slot's Liverpool side and the Klopp era. Liverpool's full-backs stopped going forward; Slot replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold with the more defensive-minded Joe Gomez for the final nine minutes; and Jones, who had been marauding forward from midfield, was replaced at the same time by Alexis Mac Allister.

The Argentina international sat deep alongside Ryan Gravenberch and tried to deny Chelsea any space in which to play. It contributed to a nervy finale, but Slot is not Klopp, whose inclination would been to go for the kill when Chelsea wavered after falling behind at 1-0 and, briefly, at 2-1.

Both sides are trying to implement fresh ideas and building belief. Slot is attempting tweaks rather than wholesale changes and that more-settled environment gave Liverpool the edge over Chelsea, who started life under their new manager with another aggressive overhaul of their squad.

"We don't like losing games, dropping points but if you have to decide the way, then this is probably the way," Maresca afterwards. "I've been in the stadium many times and have seen Liverpool for a long time, it's not easy. I think overall, we controlled the game and for most parts of the game we dominated the game, but we lost."

Chelsea's defending must improve after just two clean sheets in eight league games; Liverpool can look ahead with greater optimism.

"The better the teams you face the more you need [fight]," Slot said. "In the Premier League there are so many good teams so if you want to win at least you need to fight and then hopefully the individuals can make the difference."

Salah continues to do just that.

- James Olley, Senior Writer, ESPN FC

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HARRY KANE PASSES WAYNE ROONEY AS RECORDS FALL IN BAYERN MÜNCHEN ROUT

Harry Kane celebrates after scoring a goal for Bayern Munich against Dinamo Zagreb. Getty Images

MUNICH -- Harry Kane scored four times on Tuesday to bring his Champions League goal total to 33, blowing past the previous record of 30 set by Wayne Rooney for the most goals by an English player in the competition.

It was all part of a record night for the striker and Bayern Munich, as they cruised to a 9-2 rout of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the first round of games in the new-look Champions League format.

The nine goals for Bayern were also the most ever in a Champions League game by a single team, and Kane had another European record to his credit with three of his goals coming from the penalty spot.

"Amazing game, a bit of a crazy game for sure," Kane told broadcaster DAZN. "To score all those goals in the end was a great night.

"To be honest, after the second [penalty] I didn't really know what to do with the third one, but thankfully I was able to put it away."

Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot to give Bayern the lead and equal Rooney's mark for an Englishman. He scored his 31st on a rebound to pass Rooney and added two more from the penalty spot to take his Champions League tally to 12 goals since moving to Bayern a year ago.

"He is motivated and for me as a coach it is easier because if you have a top player who is himself so motivated it makes things so much easier," said Bayern manager Vincent Kompany after the match. "He is a leader, captain of the national team. Players like him, they know they have to rise at these moments and that is what he is doing."

Raphael Guerreiro, Michael Olise, Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka piled on the goals for Bayern to hit the record haul of nine in a single Champions League game, while Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara each scored to get the visitors on the scoresheet.

Kane now has 53 goals in 50 games in all competitions since moving to Bayern and has scored nine goals in his past three games for club and country, including two for England against Finland in his 100th international game and a hat trick Saturday for Bayern against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga.

Another record was broken when Thomas Müller came off the bench to play his 152nd Champions League game for Bayern. That's the most for a player for one club, breaking a tie with former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez.

Despite the lopsided win, it was not all praise from Kompany, who saw his team lead 3-0 at half-time but concede two goals in two minutes shortly after the restart as the Croats tried to find a way back.

"We scored nine but we conceded two goals. We conceded those goals because we were a step too late. Still we stayed calmed and then had a good evening," said the Belgian.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

-  Mark Ogden and Gab Marcotti

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WAYNE ROONEY: ALEX FERGUSON STILL HAS EDGE OVER PEP GUARDIOLA

Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney achieved great success together at Manchester United. Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

 Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney said he believes his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson still has the edge over Manchester City's Pep Guardiola when it comes to ranking the managerial greats.

Guardiola led City to a fourth consecutive Premier League title this season, a feat never managed by Ferguson or any previous team in the history of England's top flight. That took the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager's total haul to six Premier League titles in his eight seasons at Man City.

But that still falls some way behind Ferguson's record of 13 championships during his 26 years in charge of Man United.

"I think of course there are going to be arguments as to who is better, but I think people tend to just look at what Sir Alex did at Manchester United, and what he did at Aberdeen was incredible," Rooney said in an interview with ESPN Brasil.

"And you'd ask the question, could Guardiola do that at a team like Aberdeen?

"There's questions, there's debate, I think Guardiola for his era is of course the best and he's changed the way football is played worldwide ... but yeah for me Sir Alex, what he achieved in the game is incredible."

Prior to joining United, Ferguson won three Scottish titles with Aberdeen, breaking up the longtime dominance of Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers. Famously, he also guided them to victory over giants Real Madrid in the final of the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup.

Guardiola, however, has the 3-2 advantage over Ferguson in terms of Champions League titles, with his two at Barcelona adding to last season's triumph as part of the treble with City.

Rooney spent nine years playing under Ferguson and eventually finished his career as the club's record goal scorer. However, he has made it clear that he has plenty of respect for Guardiola and earlier this year even suggested he'd be willing to work as the Spaniard's assistant.

"If Pep Guardiola comes in and asks me to be his assistant, you'd walk there," Rooney told the Stick to Football podcast.

"You see what [Mikel] Arteta is doing now [at Arsenal] and I strongly believe a lot of that is from learning what Guardiola was doing, and so it depends on what the situation is.

"For me, the best manager is Pep and you look at how he adapts -- how they [City] are playing now is not the same as how they were playing four years ago."

Since then, Rooney has himself returned to management, having been appointed boss of English Championship side Plymouth Argyle ahead of next season.

- ESPN