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Wayne Rooney Accuses UK Media Of Disrespecting MLS But Admits DC United Job Is A Stepping Stone

New DC United head coach Wayne Rooney has accused journalists in the United Kingdom of showing undue disrespect towards Major League Soccer.

Rooney was recently appointed as DC United boss just days after stepping down as manager of Derby Country following the club's relegation from England's Championship to League One last season.

Despite Derby now being in the third tier of English soccer, multiple media outlets in the UK have suggested that Rooney has taken a "backwards step" by going to Washington.

Rooney does not share that opinion.

Wayne Rooney pictured at a press conference after being named as D.C. United manager in July 2022

Wayne Rooney pictured at a press conference after being named as DC United manager

"I've seen a few articles, certainly back in England, on this as possibly a backwards step in my managerial career. I really found that a bit disrespectful to this league," said Rooney in a press conference broadcast by DC United on YouTube.

But Rooney made it clear that he is planning to use his time in the States as a stepping stone and that he ultimately hopes to manage on a grander stage.

He explained: "I think as a player, playing in the main of my career at the top level, you can really choose which club you want to go to.

"As a manager I'm at the beginning of that journey. I'm at a point in my managerial career where I have to put the work in, I have to put the hours in.

"Of course, I'm an ambitious person, I want to manage at the top level and this is part of that process, in terms of coming here, trying to develop this club, trying to get success here, but also develop myself as a manager."

Is Derby To DC United Really A "Backwards Step"?

Derby are two-time champions of England, having won the old Football League First Division in 1972 and 1975.

They also won the FA Cup in 1946.

But Derby have not been a Premier League club since 2008 when they set a record for the worst campaign in the competition's history, with just 11 points and a goal difference of -69.

DC United, a club founded just 28 years ago, have won the MLS Cup four times and were champions of North America in 1998 when they lifted the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.

Last season, Derby had an average attendance of 23,010 at their Championship home games. DC United's average home crowd in MLS this season has been 16,302.