Rooney is 'eyeing a return to management in Saudi Arabia'

Wayne Rooney is reportedly eyeing a return to management in Saudi Arabia after he was sacked by Birmingham City last month.

The former England captain was relieved of his duties by the Championship club after just 83 days in charge, having won only two of his 15 games at the helm.

But he still believes he can be a success in the dugout, and is keen to prove himself in the Middle East.

A friend of Rooney's told The Sun: 'Wayne’s time in charge at Birmingham hasn’t put him off the idea of management. In fact, he believes he learned a lot of skills which he thinks will hold him in good stead in the future.

'Wayne realises he still has a lot to prove, but he believes he has what it takes to be a manager and would love the chance to manage a team in Saudi Arabia.

'He loved his time managing in America and thinks he could transfer a lot of those skills to the Arabian league.'

Despite being one of the finest players of his generation, Rooney's managerial career is yet to take off.

He began coaching at Derby County after previously playing for the club, but was unable to keep them in the Championship as they battled with financial difficulties.

Rooney then moved to the US to manage DC United, but won just 14 of his 53 matches before returning to England to try his luck at Birmingham.

He took over a team in the play-off positions, but they had dropped to 20th by the time he left less than three months later.

Rooney is now eager to coach in Saudi Arabia, and could follow in the footsteps of his former England team-mate Steven Gerrard.

Gerrard moved to Saudi Arabia last summer to take charge of Al-Ettifaq, but has struggled in his first six months.

Al-Ettifaq have not won a game in over three months, and Gerrard was unable to convince Jordan