This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With Everton on the hunt for a new boss after relieving Rafa Benitez of his duties, the Toffees have seemingly turned to Derby and Wayne Rooney to fill their vacant managerial spot.

As reported by Mail+, the man himself is believed to be interested in the move up to the Premier League - meaning that the Rams could soon be left without anyone at the helm at Pride Park.

The former Man United man has not yet tested his luck in the top flight though, so it is unclear how well he would do if given the job at Everton. Based on his work at Derby, you would fancy him to do a solid enough job at Goodison Park - but the Premier League is an entirely different kettle of fish to the Championship.

Could Rooney make the leap to the Toffees and be as much of a success as he has been down in the second tier? Or would a jump up to the top flight be too much for him to handle and could it ultimately backfire? We ask some of our writers for their verdict on how they think he would fare if he did take the Everton job...

Declan Harte

Rooney’s success at Derby County so far has been immense. That they are even in a fight to stay in the Championship is a testament to the work he and his staff have done.

However, moving to Everton would be a different beast entirely. Experienced managers like Ronald Koeman, Rafa Benitez and Fulham’s Marco Silva have all failed to make an impact there in recent seasons.

It would be too soon for Rooney to leave Derby. He should focus on trying to keep Derby in the Championship because that would be an incredible achievement.

There are no guarantees that Rooney would succeed at Everton, and the risk of ruining his reputation at a car crash of a club is too high for it to be worth taking the leap.

If Rooney can continue to prove himself like he has done then the Everton position will come up again, perhaps even as soon as next season.

 

 

Billy Mulley

I still think it would be a little premature if Everton were to appoint, or make an approach for Wayne Rooney.

There is no denying that in a managerial sense, he is progressing very well with the Rams and is defying expectations with his side.

He has shown a resilience this season, and whilst the club have been consistently hit with major setbacks, they almost seem boosted afterwards.

Rooney has integrated a possession-based style of football at Derby, which is certainly seeing its rewards, despite gifting opportunities to the opposition at the start of the season as they adapted.

Rooney's early promise and determined nature as a coach makes him a natural candidate for the Everton role, however, if he can help lead Derby away from relegation, then his credibility will only go up.

Marcus Ally

I have a lot of doubts over Rooney’s capabilities as a Premier League manager at this stage.

He oversaw a shockingly bad second half of the season at Pride Park last term, of which the club were fortunate to stay in the Championship.

He has done a sensational job this season and has a slim chance of pulling off the greatest ever escape from relegation.

However, not taking anything away from what he has done, there has been no pressure on Derby this season.

I struggle to see the skills and qualities he has shown in the dugout this term, being transferable anywhere else.

Everton are a mess at the moment and seemingly do not know what direction they want to head in.

It is far too soon for Rooney to take the leap as he is still an unproven manager in the EFL in my eyes.