Why Wayne Rooney was sacked by Birmingham City: Tom Brady & Co forced into action after Man Utd legend 'stung' squad with 'ability and personal pride' criticism while trying to implement new tactical system

Rooney was sacked by Birmingham on Tuesday in the wake of a punishing 3-0 defeat by Leeds, less than three months after he was appointed as the successor to John Eustace. Eustace had taken Blues up to sixth in the Championship when he was fired and replaced by Rooney, who leaves them in 20th place after just two wins in 15 matches. And according to a report in The Athletic, Rooney got on the wrong side of the squad, who felt "stung" by his criticism of their playing ability, lack of mental strength and pride.

Eustace's sacking had taken Birmingham's players by surprise and was deemed "unnecessary" by the players, according to the report, although they tried to get on board with Rooney. The 38-year-old had been brought in by the American ownership group, which includes Tom Brady, to usher in a new, possession-based attacking style which differed markedly from the brand of football they had played under Eustace, and the squad struggled to implement it. The Manchester United and England great, who signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, felt he needed more time and more transfers to get his style across and criticised the club for not showing more patience with him.

Rooney posted the second-worst win percentage in Birmingham's history with 13.3 per cent, behind only Gianfranco Zola, who won just 8.3 per cent of matches between December 2016 and April 2017.

Rooney, who has said he was hugely disappointed to be sacked by Birmingham, will take a break from football to spend time with his family before making his next move. His management career has so far proved unsuccessful, having been relegated with Derby County, failing to make the MLS play-offs with DC United and now being sacked by Blues.