Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand sent private warning to old pal Wayne Rooney before Birmingham sacking

RIO FERDINAND revealed he warned Wayne Rooney over the dangers of taking the Birmingham City job.

The former Manchester United striker, 38, was sacked by the Blues following their 3-0 defeat to Leeds on New Years Day.

Rooney's appointment came back in October when the club's new owners, including retired NFL star Tom Brady, removed John Eustace.

The decision was met with conflict from the Birmingham fanbase, who thought Rooney was not experienced enough, having managed Derby - who were deducted 21 points - during their relegation to League One in 2022.

Rooney's nightmare tenure was clear to see from its inception, as the Blues drastically fell from sixth in the Championship to 20th.

It has now emerged that Rooney's former teammate Ferdinand warned him that he would be under pressure from the start.

Speaking on his podcast , Ferdinand said: "I spoke to Wayne on the phone when he got the job.

"I spoke to him at the time, it’s a difficult time to go into a club when the tails are up and they’re doing well, when they like the manager.

"I saw that players seemed to like the manager and were playing for him.

"Nine times out of 10 a manager replaces someone who isn’t doing well. This was a different scenario and his back was against the wall from the start."

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The Manchester United legend departed having won just two of his 15 games in charge.

His tenure turned toxic at Elland Road when a number of travelling Birmingham fans chanted "Wayne Rooney, get out of our club".

Rooney has said he does not feel he was given long enough and it would take a while to recover from the decision.

Professional Development Coach Steve Spooner will take charge of the team while the club search for a permanent replacement.

SunSport revealed last week that Blues chiefs have had their eyes on former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper.

Cooper brought Forest from bottom of the Championship to the heights of the Premier League within one season, but was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo last month.