The American club are the first team the 36-year-old has taken over since leaving Derby last month, which ended a turbulent 17-month spell during which the English club were marred by financial trouble and relegated to the third tier last season.

Rooney did his best throughout his time with the Rams but in the end, it was not enough, and now faces a new challenge at the bottom of the MLS.

DC are second from bottom in the Eastern Conference after 17 games and sit nine points off the playoff spots with two games in hand. The former Manchester United forward will be tasked with helping the Washington side up the table, but those play-off spots might be too far away for the rest of this campaign.

Rooney returns to Washington after two years, where he spent the same amount of time playing, making 48 appearances for DC United and scoring 23 goals in the MLS.

The English manager had been in talks with the MLS club for weeks about taking over, reports Sky Sports, and Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, co-chairmen of D.C. United, are delighted to have him back on board.