England s so-called golden generation never quite delivered on the pitch, but there might still be hope for success in the coaching arena.
Sven-Goran Eriksson s side were beaten in the quarter-finals of three consecutive major tournaments from 2002 to 2006 despite being considered among the favourites.
However, with many of these involved now long since retired, management beckons.
And Wayne Rooney will join a number of former team-mates in taking on a coaching role after agreeing to move to Derby County as player-coach in January.
We take a look at other members of that England team who have taken to the touchline.
Delighted to announce I’ll be joining as player coach in January
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney)
GARY NEVILLE
The first on this list is close to the least successful, with Neville sacked after just four months in charge at Valencia, returning to his previous role as a television pundit instead.
While just three wins in 16 LaLiga games saw the end of Gary, brother Phil remained at Valencia for a time as an assistant.
PHIL NEVILLE
Phil Neville also had experience with Manchester United, England Under-21s and Salford City by the time he was surprisingly appointed boss of England Women in January 2018.
The younger brother took the Lionesses to the last four at this year s Women s World Cup. Gareth Southgate, who featured sparingly at the start of Eriksson s era, is similarly impressing with the men s team.
SOL CAMPBELL
Former centre-back Campbell was repeatedly frustrated in his initial attempts to move into management, describing attitudes towards giving black players their first chance in coaching as archaic in 2013.
His opportunity finally arrived last year with Macclesfield Town, then bottom of the Football League. A superb turnaround saw the side stay up on the final day. It s definitely up there with the things I ve achieved in football, he said.
Sol Campbell May 4
May 4, 2019: Keeps Macclesfield Town in the Football League on the final day
May 4, 2002: Lifts the FA Cup, winning 2-0 against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
and in the days that followed, Sol Campbell won the double
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
STEVEN GERRARD
While Campbell was made to wait for a lowly senior job, ex-colleague Gerrard went in at the top with one of Scotland s biggest clubs, taking over at Rangers at the start of last season.
Having left the Liverpool academy to take the post, Gerrard has a positive impact at Ibrox and led Rangers to their first win over rivals Celtic in six years. He could not prevent the Hoops completing a historic treble-treble, though.
PAUL SCHOLES
Definitely not a success. Scholes stint at boyh
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ood club Oldham Athletic made Gary Neville s Valencia stretch look steady, with the former midfielder gone after just 31 days.
It was Scholes decision to quit, as he explained: It unfortunately became clear that I would not be able to operate as I intended and was led to believe prior to taking on the role.
FRANK LAMPARD
Chelsea favourite Lampard has the potential to be the biggest success of all, having been handed the reigns at Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Lampard led Derby to within a whisker of promotion in the play-off final, earning a chance at Chelsea as they prepare for a tough campaign impacted by a transfer ban. His Derby departure allowed for Phillip Cocu to come in and bring in Rooney.
Frank Lampard’s first training session as head coach of Chelsea is about to get underway!
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
THE REST
It might only be a matter of time before John Terry has a senior role. He is an assistant at Aston Villa and was linked to the Middlesbrough job, which instead went to former team-mate and fellow rookie Jonathan Woodgate .
Meanwhile, at Manchester United, both Nicky Butt and Michael Carrick form part of the coaching staff.
David James operated as a player-coach at IBV, had a short stint at Luton Town and then took over at Kerala Blasters while continuing in goal. James then returned to the Indian side in 2018 but was sacked after an 11-match winless run.
Darius Vassell has a role at Wolves, Joe Cole is at Chelsea, and Kieron Dyer is part of the Ipswich Town set-up.
