Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney on the verge of leaving DC United | OneFootball

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has suffered an underwhelming campaign in the MLS this season, with DC United unlikely to make the coveted playoff spots.

Last night’s 3-0 defeat to Austin has left Rooney’s men outside of the top nine having also played a game more than their rivals.

Rooney was left seething after the heavy loss, which saw Austin score all three goals in the first-half, leaving DC with a mountain too big to climb.

“I spoke to the players before the game about not giving up cheap goals, We’ve done that with all three goals, but the goals in the first half were very poor. The first half wasn’t good enough. I could’ve taken 11 players off at halftime,” said Rooney.

DC now need both Montreal and NYCFC to lose their respective game in hand and then better their results on ‘decision day’ in the last fixture of the league season.

The situation looks bleak for Rooney and his troops, with failure to reach the playoffs likely to cost the Englishman his job with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.

There is a mutual option for him to extend his deal but that looks unlikely under the current circumstances.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Rooney recently spoke on his future, claiming he has been requesting talks with the owners but is yet to hear back.

“We asked to sit down and speak because planning for next season needs to go ahead. So we asked two months ago where everything was at, are we moving forward or not moving forward — if that’s the case from their point of view — and we haven’t heard back,” he said.

Rooney confessed he is frustrated over the lack of clarity but admits the silence is likely to signal the end of his time a the club.

“That’s frustrating because, either way, I’d rather know what’s the plan because we have to plan for next season. We need to do it earlier rather than later. The fact we haven’t heard back is probably signalling one thing, but I’m sure they’ll have their reasons for that. So I’ll wait and see,” said Rooney.

DC’s last fixture of the season comes against NYCFC on Saturday, one of the teams Rooney has to overhaul to save his job but the chances are slim even if they manage to win the game, given the games in hand.

If he does leave, he could be lured back to English football. In September he was reported to be top of Birmingham’s list when John Eustace looked to be leaving, which in the end did not happen.

Rooney, who recently backed the need for a change in ownership at Old Trafford, remains the club’s highest ever goalscorer and one of the finest players to pull on the red shirt.

However, his managerial exploits haven’t quite matched up to his illustrious playing career, as yet and he will be hoping for better luck if, and when, he moves into a new role.