London, Dec 15 (IANS): Former England star footballer Wayne Rooney is set to make a sensational return to Everton if the club takes the decision to axe under-pressure head coach Rafa Benitez.

Everton have reportedly made contact with Rooney as pressure continues to mount on Benitez who has had a torrid time at the club despite a bright start to life as a manager.

The club has been struggling this season and find themselves in 14th place in the Premier League standings, following a dismal run of seven defeats in their last nine games.

Informal talks have begun between Rooney and the club over taking the coaching job if the management decides to sack the Spaniard coach Benitez, according to a report published in The Sun.

"Everton chief Farhad Moshiri is desperate for the 61-year-old to succeed after going through five managers during his time at Goodison Park. The former Real Madrid and Liverpool boss is the second coach in a row that has won the Champions League to be hired by the British-Iranian following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti previously," said the report.

Their football has been dire in recent months and Everton have managed just one win since September 26 -- a 2-1 victory over Arsenal on December 13. The latest failure came against high-flying Crystal Palace, who swatted Everton in a 3-1 win where Conor Gallagher scored twice.

The Manchester United legend, who is currently doing a coaching job at Derby, has garnered a decent reputation. Despite their situation, Rooney has picked up results and has his side playing good football. While talk of a sensational return to Goodison Park as manager will get Everton fans talking, the former striker has previously insisted he will not leave Derby.

Rooney joined the Everton youth team at the age of nine and made his professional debut for the club in 2002 at the age of 16. He spent two seasons at the club, before moving to Manchester United for 25.6 million pounds in the 2004 summer transfer.