Wayne Rooney pulls out of Match of the Day role and makes painful announcement

Wayne Rooney was due to make his Match of the Day punditry debut on Saturday night

Former Everton star Wayne Rooney pulls out of Match of the Day role and makes painful announcement

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Former Everton striker Wayne Rooney was forced to pull out of his Match of the Day debut on Saturday after suffering an injury on holiday.

The 38-year-old was due to feature alongside presenter Gary Lineker, but the panel featured Martin Keown and Micah Richards after he was forced to miss his debut in the role.

He tweeted: "Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little.

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"Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future. Good luck to @GaryLineker and the guys for tonight's show and see you soon."

Rooney moved into punditry after being dismissed as Birmingham City manager with spells on BBC's FA Cup coverage and Premier League Productions analysis of fixtures in recent weeks. The former forward's time in the St Andrews hotseat came to an end after nine defeats in 15 games.

After retiring from professional football, the ex-Everton and Manchester United attacker moved into management at Derby County, where he faced problems off the pitch contributing to their relegation, and DC United until he returned to the Championship for his ill-fated stint at Birmingham.

Following his dismissal, speculation emerged over whether Rooney would crossover to boxing after reports of discussions with influencer boxing production Misfits, but the 38-year-old insisted that his aim is to return to management.

"You never know," he said on the Overlap. "They've been in touch and asked the question but I think at the minute I want to focus on getting back into management, not boxing.

"There's been a few obviously. Misfits have been and that's been all over over the news. I want to focus on getting back into management, that's my focus."

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