“His back was against the wall from the start” - Rio Ferdinand weighs in on ex-Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney being sacked by Birmingham City

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand claimed that his ex-teammate Wayne Rooney believed he had more time at Birmingham City as manager. Ferdinand thought that 13 weeks were not enough for a manager to transform a side and he needed more time.

Speaking on the Vibe With Five podcast, Ferdinand said that he was in constant touch with Rooney after the latter took the managerial job at the Championship side. However, the Englishman was not able to win over the fans and then the results made things even worse. He said:

"The stress levels are very different. These guys want to get a career in the game and it's difficult. One of the key words he used was time. Managers aren't afforded 13 weeks that Wayne feels isn't really long enough to put his stamp on a team. We all know, Wayne's not silly. It's results driven and when you look on the facts it's two wins in 15 games, they were sixth and now they're 20th and a win percentage of just 13% and that's damming. I think with the conversations he had behind the scenes and when he went in there, a couple of weeks a go the conversations he had he would've felt positive that, regardless of results, as long as he stays up he'll get time."

He added:

"That hasn't been the way it is and I've seen clips of Birmingham fans at games disgruntled, not happy. I always thought at the beginning and I spoke to Wayne when he got the job on the phone, 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. The fans had a good rapport with the manager it seemed. 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."

Manchester United great Ferdinand added that Rooney was under the impression that he had to keep Birmingham City away from the relegation zone at the end of the season to keep his job.

Birmingham City sack Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney

Birmingham City sacked Wayne Rooney on Tuesday, January 2, after the club slumped to 20th in the Championship table. They were sixth when the Manchester United legend took over from John Eustace, who was sacked on October 11.

Rooney's stint at Birmingham City lasted just 83 days and he managed two wins in 15 games. He lost nine times in his 13-week spell at the club and admitted in his statement that he could not get the club the results they needed.

The Manchester United legend also questioned the Birmingham City board after the sacking. He said that he was not given enough time at the club.