Inside moment Birmingham City owners made crucial Wayne Rooney decision

11 October 2023 , 23:13

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Wayne Rooney is the new boss at Birmingham City (Image: Matthew Ashton/Getty Images)

Birmingham City had moved on from John Eustace weeks ago, but held off sacking the manager to wait for Wayne Rooney's departure from MLS side DC United.

That's according to The Sun, who claim that Rooney had been Birmingham's target for weeks and they knew that DC United wouldn't continue with the former Manchester United star as head coach. With the MLS regular season coming to an end and DC United eliminated from play-off contention, Rooney was always likely to be moved on after one and a half years in the role.

Rooney joined DC in July last year, but failed to make an impact in his first full season. He was out of a job for only 72 hours as Birmingham quickly announced Rooney's hiring on Wednesday to the shock of some fans.

READ MORE: Wayne Rooney faces make or break stint at Birmingham with jury still out on coaching career

When Birmingham parted ways with Eustace some fans were surprised, as they're currently in the play-off positions after 11 games. The decision to remove him raised some eyebrows, but it's clear that the new owners wanted Rooney in the dugout.

After multiple failed bids to purchase the club, Shelby Companies Ltd - a subsidiary of US-based Knighthead Capital Management and fronted by that company's co-founder Tom Wagner - took control of the club and stadium in July. Iconic NFL player Tom Brady also joined as a minority investor, and Rooney was later set as their managerial target.

But the decision not to bring in Rooney sooner was based on Financial Fair Play, as the club did not want to pay any compensation to DC United. Instead, they waited until his contract officially ended with the MLS team, meaning they could remove Eustace and hire Rooney without any complications.

Tom Brady joined the owners at Birmingham this summer (PA)

There's been lots of change at Birmingham, and the hire of Rooney is the latest in a long line of alterations. There has been a high turnover of players following the ownership change, and the new bosses feel as though Rooney is well equipped to get them back into the Premier League.

Birmingham City Co-Owner and Chairman of the Board, Tom Wagner said: "Wayne is a born winner. We believe, with the support of his coaching staff, the Club, and our supporters, he will take Blues forward on the next stage of our journey. His playing philosophy will help to realise the ambitions we have set for Birmingham City.

"Wayne has been preparing for an opportunity like this since he embarked on his coaching education whilst still a player at Manchester United. He and his staff have the full support of the Board and everyone at the Football Club."

Alongside Rooney in the dugout will be former England team-mate Ashley Cole and ex-United star John O’Shea. Carl Robinson and Pete Shuttleworth make up the coaching staff, and both assisted Rooney at DC United.

Joseph McBride