"I do believe" - Exclusive: Huddersfield Town and a move for Wayne Rooney discussed | OneFootball

Joe Jacobson has tipped Wayne Rooney to be a contender for the vacant Huddersfield Town job.

Pundit Joe Jacobson believes Wayne Rooney should be considered by Huddersfield Town as they continue their search for a permanent replacement for Michael Duff.

Despite sitting just one point outside the play-off places at the time, Huddersfield made the controversial decision to part company with Duff in March following a run of four defeats in five games.

Terriers owner Kevin Nagle opted against bringing in a replacement for Duff immediately, instead opting to stick with caretaker manager Jon Worthington until the end of the season, but that decision has backfired spectacularly.

After a run of five consecutive defeats under Worthington, Town have dropped to 10th in the League One table, and they are a huge 11 points from the top six ahead of their final game of the season against Leyton Orient at the John Smith's Stadium on Saturday.

Joe Jacobson tips Wayne Rooney for Huddersfield Town vacancy

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, ex-Wycombe Wanderers defender turned EFL pundit Joe Jacobson suggested that former Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle manager Rooney should come into the frame for the Huddersfield job.

Rooney had a disastrous three-month spell at Birmingham last season, during which he won just two of his 15 games in charge, with the Blues plummeting from the play-off places to just outside the relegation zone under his guidance.

Despite his struggles at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, Rooney was handed another opportunity in Championship management with Plymouth Argyle in the summer, but his time at Home Park went in a similar direction, with the 39-year-old winning just five of 25 games at the helm, drawing six and losing 14, before departing in December with the club sitting bottom of the table.

Jacobson admitted that he is unsure whether Rooney would be a good fit for the Terriers, but he believes the former England international will be a successful manager at some point in the future.

"Huddersfield are a huge club, but for some reason, I think they got rid of Michael Duff far too soon," Jacobson said.

"I think he's proven he's a good manager, especially at that level, and you can see what's happened at the club and the direction they have gone in since he left.

"It's very difficult for Jon Worthington to take on that team when they are low on confidence and expect players to step up, especially when the season is petering out for them.

"Wayne Rooney has football in his blood and he's desperate to succeed somewhere as a manager, but he's not quite been able to do that just yet.

"I do think at some point he will succeed.

"Is Huddersfield the right fit? I'm not sure, you'd have to speak to Wayne Rooney, but I do believe that at some point, he will be successful as a manager."

Wayne Rooney could be too much of a gamble for Huddersfield Town

Jacobson may be right that Rooney will come good as a manager in the future, but there has been little evidence in his four roles so far to suggest that he has what it takes to succeed in the dugout.

It has been an incredibly underwhelming second half of the season for Huddersfield in League One, and as he searches for his fifth permanent manager in just under two years since completing his takeover of the club, Nagle simply cannot afford to get this appointment wrong.

There is a chance that Rooney may find life easier managing at a lower level, but the battle for promotion in the third tier will be competitive once again next season, and he would be too much of a risk for the Terriers to take at this stage.