Wayne Rooney's enjoying a new lease of life away from the dugout

Though his struggles in football management have stolen headlines in recent years, now, Wayne Rooney is enjoying a new lease of life away from the dugout.

The Manchester United legend hung up his playing boots back in 2021 before taking up managerial roles at a number of different clubs which, eventually, ended unsuccessfully.

Rooney has insisted that he plans on a return to management in the near future but, since then, has embarked on a number of different ventures.

From TV punditry appearances to joining an online football team and even hinting at a future in boxing, Rooney seems to be taking it all on.

Here, Mail Sport takes a look at the United legend's activities away from the dugout.

Before discussing Rooney's post-management career, it's important to understand how the 38-year-old wound up in this position.

Since retiring in 2021, Rooney has managed Derby, MLS side DC United and had an ill-fated stint at Championship club Birmingham City.

The Manchester United great replaced John Eustace at Birmingham in October 2023 but was sacked in January, after winning just two of his 15 games in charge.

Birmingham were sixth in the Championship when Rooney was appointed, but by the time he was sacked they were only six points above the relegation zone.

Rooney's appointment was a major gamble by American consortium Knighthead, which include NFL great Tom Brady and took over the club last summer.

The experiment backfired spectacularly and the former Everton star conceded the 'timing wasn't right' for him to take over at St. Andrew's.

In February, Rooney said: 'It was a setback what happened at Birmingham but I'm a fighter and I want to get back into it.

'I definitely want to get back into management. The aim is to manage in the Premier League eventually, Manchester United or Everton are the dream jobs.

'In the next 10 years hopefully I can be in with a chance of taking one of the top jobs.'

It's clear that the United and England legend is keen to return to the dugout but, before he does that, Rooney has embarked on a number of ventures.

Primarily, the 38-year-old has featured as a pundit for multiple broadcasters - including Sky Sports, TNT Sports and BBC One - in recent months.

And, similarly to his style of play during his career on the pitch, Rooney rarely shied away from a challenge during these appearances.

In his recent appearance on Sky Sports, Rooney told Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool 'to get on with it' following their Merseyside derby defeat.

'Those Liverpool players should be wanting to go tomorrow because when you lose a derby game you want the games to come quick,' he said.

'We've heard it so many times this season with Liverpool about 12.30 kick offs. Get on with it, that's part of your job. They should be ready to play.'

Similarly, during punditry duty for United's win over Everton in March, he claimed he had no sympathy for Marcus Rashford's struggles in the 2023-24 campaign.

Rooney told TNT Sports: ‘Not much, to be honest. He’s in a privileged position where he is playing for Man United.

'He is the one player that I believe can get my goal scoring record. I hope he does but he needs to hit consistency. He is not having the best of seasons, so he needs to find some form and become a leader.'

The 38-year-old was in line to make his debut on iconic BBC show Match of the Day this month, but was forced to pull out, with Martin Keown filling in for him.

The former Manchester United striker says he had to withdraw from the show after suffering an injury while on holiday.

Rooney wrote on X: 'Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTDshow tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little.

'Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future'.

The 38-year-old has clearly also made it a priority to spend time with his family. Rooney and wife Coleen have four children - Kai, 13, Klay, 10, Kit, seven, and Cass, five.

United academy star Kai seems to have inherited his legendary father's golden touch in front of goal and recently registered three goals and two assists for their U14s.

Despite injuring his back while on holiday, Rooney has clearly enjoyed his time away from football although has returned in some capacity - after joining an online team.

This month, Rooney was announced as the latest star signing for EA Sports FC Pro Club Girth N Turf - which was founded by YouTubers Angry Ginge and Yung Filly.

Rooney made his debut for the club but it wasn't his gaming skills that caught the eye - or perhaps ear - during the live stream.

After playing, Rooney stated his desire to play again in the future, saying: 'If yous [sic] want us back I'll be back.' Yung Filly replied yes straight away.

However, the 38-year-old was quickly met with a joking jibe from Angry Ginge - real name Morgan Burtwistle - who declared: 'You can come back tomorrow, mate. Don't be s*** again.'

This caused Rooney to respond with a light-hearted jab of his own as he hit back with: 'Ah, you ginger ****!'.

Just a week later, Rooney caused his team-mates to burst into laughter again after reacting quickly to a foul mouthed comment from the live stream chat.

‘For some reason I am just being called “you are a fat granny s******” apparently, cheers mate,' said Angry Ginge. ‘Someone is obviously not very happy that Real Madrid won.’

Rooney was quick to respond with the 38-year-old making the deadpan comment 'I don't think that was aimed at you'.

The 38-year-old had previously been targeted by opposition fans with chants during matches in his career, referencing national newspaper stories in 2004.

It was also claimed in 2004 that at a brothel in Liverpool he slept with Gina McCarrick, then 37, and grandmother Patricia Tierney, then 48, who wore a rubber catsuit and was known as the 'Auld Slapper'.

While Rooney has hinted at a return to football, there have also been suggestions that the former talisman could transition to a new sport entirely.

Rooney has had a long standing interest in boxing and has hinted that he eventually make his debut inside the ring with KSI's Misfits Boxing.

In February, he claimed that 'a few' had been in touch to try and get him to swap the football pitch for the ring after his sacking by Birmingham City on January 2.

Asked by Gary Neville on the Stick to Football podcast if he was going to fight, Rooney teased fans. 'Never know,' he said.

'They've been in touch and asked the question but I think at the minute, I want to focus on getting back into management, not boxing.

'They've been in touch to fight, yeah. There's been a few and obviously that Misfits have been in [touch] and that's been all over the news.'

That same month, KSI claimed Rooney messaged him in the early hours of the morning to pitch a boxing fight.

He revealed: '[Rooney text] Hi mate, what you think on me and you having a boxing fight. I think we could generate a lot of money. You up for it.'

Rooney reportedly continued: 'We could sell out stadium with right support and both make good money.'