A name that doesn't get mentioned too often given his role in the US, DC United boss Wayne Rooney has sprung back into the public eye following some interesting Football Manager comments.
The former Premier League legend has been speaking about the impact of FM in his role as DC boss and we're surprised to see just how he uses the game.
With more and more teams realising the power of FM as a handy database tool, it appears Wazza has also caught on.
With that in mind, let's take a look at how Wayne Rooney uses Football Manager to improve his DC United side.
Rooney's FM Admission
In a recent interview with The Times, DC United boss Wayne Rooney discussed how Football Manager is a key tool in helping him recruit the latest stars to his side.
We all know that wonderkid scouting is a key part of any Football Manager game and it would appear Rooney has also caught on.
A lot of the market is South America and we’ve done a deal with Football Manager where we give them some advertising and they give us access to the scouts — 11 or 12 of them — they use in different places across the world to help them create the game. Jose Mourinho has done something similar in the past.”
Rooney's recruitment revelation was made even more surprising when he stated that current Roma boss, and former Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho had adopted a similar tactic in the past.
Whilst we're certain the Portuguese genius won't share his secrets, we'd love to know which European winners he discovered through FM.
Discovery Channels
Rooney was also discussing the weird and wonderful 'Discovery List' rule that exists in MLS, with clubs effectively taking ownership over a player's talent despite not actually owning them.
Clubs are allowed a maximum of 7 players on their list and will be compensated if another MLS club swoops in first.
"We could put Haaland on our ‘Discovery List’ and it means that if he ever came to the MLS but let’s say wanted to play for one of the LA teams and not us, the LA team would have to pay Man City – and us. Because we’ve 'discovered' him! It’s crazy."
"Last year when Jesse Lingard signed for a year with Forest, we put him on our Discovery List because you thought there’s every chance that after a year he’ll want to come to the US and that would mean we could sign him or get money for him."
So next time you're sifting through your shortlist searching for your next Football Manager wonderkid, just be aware that you aren't the only gaffer scanning the available profiles.