'The players can't do it' - Wayne Rooney claims he wrote off his Birmingham squad after just two games as Man Utd legend aims cheeky jibe at NFL icon Tom Brady over sacking

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Rooney revealed how his fears were ignored by the board, who insisted Birmingham continue to play the same way. Results went on a steep decline, and Rooney was relieved of his duties at the start of January. The Manchester United legend appeared frustrated with his treatment by Blues, who are partially owned by former NFL star Tom Brady.

Rooney was given a large portion of the blame by fans and the media alike after Birmingham were relegated to the third tier for the first time in 29 years. The 39-year-old then took over at Plymouth Argyle, who also ended up relegated from the Championship after Rooney was sacked on 31 December. Rooney's insistence on playing front-foot football with struggling sides has at times been criticised - but his recent revelations about his time at Birmingham may bring that into question.

Rooney said: "When I joined Birmingham, they brought me in and said this is how we want to play.

"After two games I said to them the players can't do it. I wanted to adjust and adapt to get results.

"But the message I got was no, keep doing it, and then in January we'll get you in players who can - I got sacked on January 1st."

Rooney has been out of managerial work since he left Plymouth, but continues to keep up regular appearances on Sky Sports, Amazon Prime and The Overlap podcast. His name often gets mentioned around various EFL vacancies, so it remains to be seen if he will return to management soon.