Odds on Wayne Rooney Becoming a Match of the Day Pundit and Who Could Join Him

_{Could Wayne Rooney be the next addition to Match of the Day? (Image: PA Images / Alamy)}

Wayne Rooney's latest foray into football management lasted just after seven months, and there is plenty of speculation about what he might do next.

While a return to management is a strong possibility, it was recently reported the former England captain could turn to punditry instead—and the BBC's flagship football show Match of the Day might be his next destination.

Following Rooney's departure from Plymouth Argyle, a source told The Sun newspaper: "Punditry is one of a number of options open to Wayne for the future."

The BBC is said to be in "early" talks with Rooney, and he is no stranger to the corporation after his analyst work alongside outgoing Match of the Day host Gary Lineker at the European Championships last summer.

The source added, "He worked alongside Gary and co. at the Euros last summer and was a huge hit with viewers. He’s also eminently likeable with a forensic knowledge and love of the game."

It's said Rooney could command as much as £200,000 a year for the job should he make plenty of MOTD appearances, but it sounds like he is a man in demand.

Rooney In Demand 

It's just 8/13 that Rooney signs on the dotted line for Match of the Day bosses, and it would be part of a new look for the show.

Lineker confirmed earlier this season he is departing the MOTD hotseat at the end of the campaign, and it was recently revealed Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates will be replacing the ex-England striker by sharing the role. 

If Rooney doesn't join the new regime, he could appear as an analyst at a rival instead. According to The Sun, "a couple of other broadcasters" are also interested in hiring the former Manchester United forward.

Aside from the BBC, Sky Sports are the 11/10 favourites to sign Rooney, which could see him reunite with his former colleagues Gary Neville or Roy Keane, or he is 15/8 to sit alongside former Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright on ITV Football's coverage.

_{Former teammates Ferdinand, Rooney and Lescott, thrived as TV pundits. (Image: Sportimage Ltd/Alamy)}

What's more, ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand could put in a good word for his pal Rooney over at TNT Sports towers. It's 4/1 Rooney ends up there, but he could even take his punditry Stateside, like he did with his football career.

Rooney previously played for, and later managed, Washington-based DC United in the US, and it's just 2/1 that he heads across the pond again and lands a role at NBC Sports.

Joining Roo

However, if Rooney does stick around in the UK, then Match of the Day could be his new home. And with the show also making a change in the main hotseat, Rooney may not be the only new pundit in brought in.

_{Wayne Rooney and Gary Lineker showed great chemistry at last summer's Euros. (BBCSports)}

Rooney's former England teammates Joe Hart and Theo Walcott joined the BBC Sport team at the beginning of the season, as did former Lionesses skipper Steph Houghton.

The Premier League is full of top-talking players who could go down the punditry or management route. Michail Antonio is just 1/1 to secure a Match of the Day analyst role full-time, and he already has some experience.

Last year, he made his punditry debut during Sky Sports' League Cup semi-final clash between Fulham and Liverpool. He has since been involved in a serious car crash, which left him with a broken leg and "grateful to be alive."

In December, Antonio vowed to return to the pitch "soon," but a full-time punditry career could beckon at some stage.

Ashley Young (11/8) is another good talker both on and off the pitch, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him line up on MOTD soon.

For now, he is still turning out week in, week out, in the Premier League for Everton, aged 39, alongside his Toffees teammate Séamus Coleman, who is 6/1 to land an analyst job on the BBC show.

Townsend to Jump Ship?

Young is a former England and Manchester United teammate of Rooney's, and Match of the Day bosses have often looked to past Three Lions players when searching for analysts.

Current pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards both turned out for the national team, and producers appear to have a penchant for a particular game in 2016.

Rooney, Walcott and Hart all lined up for the Three Lions in a drab 0-0 World Cup qualifier in Slovenia in October 2016, and several others who played that day would make perfect sense as MOTD pundits.

Like Rooney, Andros Townsend was on the bench that evening and replaced Walcott, and he could do the same on MOTD as a rotating pundit.

Townsend has already been a punditry success in a short space of time, thoroughly impressing ITV viewers with his commentary and analysis during Euro 2024 last summer, and he's just 13/8 to jump ship to the BBC.

_{Rooney, Walcott, and Hart inspected the pitch in Slovenia ahead of the 2016 World Cup qualifier. (Image: Aleš Beno / Alamy)}

What's more, Jordan Henderson (2/1) captained England against Slovenia that night.

He and his fellow former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (8/1)—who was an unused sub in the game—are both great communicators and could be excellent MOTD analysts in the future.

Or, how about Jamie Vardy? His wife, Rebekah Vardy, is no stranger to the small screen after appearing in the ITV reality TV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Dancing on Ice.

Jamie, who certainly isn't shy when it comes to voicing his opinions to opposition fans, is 10/1 to follow in her footsteps by becoming a regular on TV by signing up for Match of the Day.

It would be entertaining viewing, that's for sure.