Wayne Rooney says he rejected a managerial offer in the Saudi Pro League before opting to take charge of English second division side Birmingham City.
The former Manchester United and England striker, who previously coached DC United and Derby County, was named Birmingham manager on Wednesday with the club sixth in the Championship.
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Birmingham chief executive Garry Cook said he tried to bring Rooney to the desert kingdom in his previous role as CEO of the Saudi Pro League.
“We discussed Saudi Arabia. That wouldn’t happen,” Cook said at a joint news conference with Rooney on Thursday.
A move to Saudi Arabia would have seen Rooney follow former England teammate Steven Gerrard, who was appointed manager of Al-Ettifaq in July.
Rooney said his decision was “no disrespect” to the managers who chose to move to Saudi Arabia, adding: “For me, I felt my development, my journey, was different.
I think for me, first of all, coming back to English football is great. It’s what I wanted to do.
“I’ve also had opportunities over the last four to six weeks at other clubs, but since speaking to Birmingham it’s been a very easy decision.
“I want to succeed, it’s clear this club wants to succeed, and everything we talked about was very similar.”
Rooney’s first game in charge will be when Birmingham take on Middlesbrough on October 21.
