Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has extended his support towards a Premier League manager amid dismissal rumors.
Nottingham Forest suffered a 2-0 loss against Newcastle United in their last league match on October 5 at St. James’ Park.
The loss on Sunday marked to be Forest’s seventh loss in a row since Ange Postecoglou took charge last month, following Nuno Espirito Santo’s dismissal.
Even though his appointment has been for only about a month, Postecoglou’s lack of leading the squad to a win has led to criticism and rumors about a possible dismissal. Their loss to Danish club Midtjylland in their second match of the 2025/26 Europa League at City Ground also saw many Forest supporters chanting “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” directed at the 60-year-old.
As the talks of his potential sacking continue with Forest’s defeat against the Magpies, Rooney backed Postecoglou, referring to the comments and rumors as ‘absolutely crazy.’
What did Wayne Rooney say about Ange Postecoglou?
Before his arrival at City Ground, Postecoglou was relieved of his duties as Tottenham’s head coach in June, even after leading Spurs to their first-ever major trophy in 17 years.
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Rooney candidly voiced his opinion that if Postecoglou is dismissed by Forest, it would be ‘absolutely wrong,’ and told the BBC,
“It’s crazy. All the rumours that you heard about him, that he could get sacked after six or seven games, it’s absolutely crazy. And I like him, I think he’s a good man,” as per GOAL.
“He obviously struggled in the league with Tottenham last season, but then he went and won the Europa League. It was strange seeing Nuno [Espirito Santo] get sacked at Forest, and then they brought Ange in. If he does get sacked, I think it’s absolutely wrong.”
“I’ve not heard anyone talking about the ownership and the decisions they’re making. They’re the ones making the decisions, so if they do sack him, someone has to be responsible for hiring him in the first place.”
While emphasizing on the challenge Postecoglou inherited with his arrival at Forest, Rooney also pointed out that ‘Forest fans really liked’ Nuno, who was in charge for two years.
“The difficulty he’s got is that the style Nuno played compared to what Ange wants to play is completely different. I watched them against Burnley, I thought Forest were very good. And against Real Betis in the Europa League, I thought they were very good in that game as well. He’s been unlucky on a couple of occasions.”
“The problem is, the Forest fans really liked Nuno, and it doesn’t look like they’re willing to give Ange the time. It’s tough, but Ange Postecoglou is a good man. He’s won trophies everywhere he’s been, and I hope he gets the time. But from everything you hear, the Forest fans don’t look like they’re willing to give him that time.”
Postecoglou claims to ‘love a fight’ amid dismissal rumors
While addressing the press after the recent loss, Postecoglou shared his take on rumors of his uncertain future at Nottingham and said,
“If people want to make an assessment of me after three and a half weeks in which I’ve had six or seven games, there’s nothing I can do about that,” as per ESPN.
“But at the same time, there’s nothing wrong with things being tough. That’s okay. I’ll say it a million times, I did have an option. I could have been sitting on the couch watching the game today and not be in the middle of it.”
“I love a fight. So it’s a fight, so it’s a struggle — so what? That’s ok. Now, if people outside don’t think I’m the right person, or even internally don’t think I am, it makes no difference for me.”
It remains to be seen if Postecoglou is able to secure his first victory at City Ground in their next league game against Chelsea on October 18.
