“The message I got was no” - Manchester United hero Wayne Rooney explains what went wrong before being sacked by Tom Brady-owned Birmingham City

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has opened up about his short spell in charge of Tom Brady-owned Birmingham City. He spoke about his short tenure as manager at the club, providing insight into how he got fired following only 15 games in office.

Rooney replaced John Eustace in October 2023, who had guided the club to sixth place in the Championship. Birmingham's performance under the Manchester United legend worsened with just two victories in 15 games, and they ended up in 20th place. He was sacked after a 3-0 loss to Leeds United on New Year's Day of 2024.

In a conversation on The Overlap Fan Debate, Rooney spoke of his discontent at the club's insistence upon a style of football which the players were unable to play. He explained (via GOAL):

"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."

Despite Rooney's sacking, the club went through a decline, suffering relegation to League One for the first time in 29 years. The Manchester United icon's subsequent managerial experience at Plymouth Argyle was also not successful, with the team now relegated to League One after his December dismissal.

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Manchester United move closer to signing Wolves forward

Manchester United have stepped up their bid to win the signature of Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha. Discussions on personal terms are said to be ongoing, according to a report from journalist David Ornstein.

The Brazilian striker has a release clause of £62.5 million on his contract, and is also being chased by Arsenal and Newcastle United. Ornstein revealed that United, however, are in the lead, as they have made an offer to Cunha (via GiveMeSport):

"In the meantime, Manchester United will seek to get personal terms in place - they’ve made an offer but I’m not aware of an agreement yet, so they’ll continue discussing it in an effort to get there. If/when that happens and the clause becomes active, they can get the deal done..."

The club aims to finalize personal terms before triggering the release clause, which becomes active at the end of the season. The 25-year-old has been the top performer at Wolves this season, scoring 15 goals in 31 Premier League games. His goal-scoring abilities make him an ideal candidate for teams looking to bolster their attack.