Wayne Rooney tipped to become Man Utd manager by former team-mate despite disastrous Birmingham stint
WAYNE ROONEY could still become Manchester United manager despite his nightmare stint at Birmingham, says former team-mate Dimitar Berbatov.
Rooney, 38, was sacked by the Championship side last week after less than three months in the job.
He won just two of his 15 matches in charge, taking Blues from sixth to 20th in the table.
The disastrous spell at Birmingham has significantly lowered Rooney’s managerial stock.
But ex-Man Utd strike partner Berbatov, 42, who won two Premier League titles alongside Rooney, does not doubt the England legend has the character to resurrect his coaching career.
And he even went as far as to claim the former Derby and DC United boss could still be appointed Man Utd manager in the future.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport, Betfair Ambassador Berbatov said: “I have no doubt that he is going to come back and be a manager because I think that’s what he likes to do.
“I think, ultimately, at one time in the future he would like to be the manager of Manchester United. How he is going to get there is another question.
“I hope he is going to continue to climb that ladder of success in that business to be a manager. Unfortunately, he had a bit of a setback with the Birmingham job.
“You cannot argue with the numbers though. Losing a lot of games.
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“The team was fifth when he came in, when he was sacked they were 20th. You cannot argue with that.
“Yes, someone can say ‘they did not give him enough time’ but now in today’s football results need to come fast.
“So maybe sometimes it’s more important to get the results first so you have time to build your vision of the game.
“Unfortunately, that was not the case with him but I hope he will come back stronger and continue on that path to one day be manager of Man Utd.”
Tony Mowbray has succeeded Rooney at Birmingham, while the Man Utd icon has revealed he will “take some time” to get over his sacking.
Following his dismissal, Man Utd’s record goalscorer said: “I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.
“Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be.
“However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.
“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16.
“Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.
“Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”
To hear more from Betfair’s Dimitar Berbatov, listen to him on this week’s Football…Only Bettor podcast here: https://betting.betfair.com/podcasts/football-only-bettor/
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