Patrice Evra has ripped into his former Manchester United colleague Wayne Rooney, who he claimed makes a team worse by becoming their manager.
The Frenchman, in dialogue with another Red Devils favourite Park Ji-sung, joked that he has told the Englishman to give up on his dream of coaching and cited his recent disastrous spell with Birmingham City.
‘Thats why they [Birmingham] get relegated,’ he told the South Korean via ShootforLoveYT.
‘I said no please stop being a manager, it’s not for you. And he keep going somewhere and get sacked again… and when he leaves, they win.’
Rooney began in management immediately after his playing days were over, hanging up his boots while playing in the Championship for Derby to take the reins at Pride Park.
Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer received plaudits for the work he did in extremely challenging circumstances, with the club struggling to compete amid their mountain of financial issues.
Patrice Evra aimed a brutal dig at his former Manchester United team-mate while in conversation with another ex-colleague Park Ji-sung
Rooney lasted just 84 days as Birmingham City manager, who were relegated at the end of the season after being in the hunt for promotion when he took over
The 39-year-old then made the surprise move to MLS and coached another of his former sides, DC United. But he lasted just 12 months Stateside – half the time he spent in charge of the Rams – as interest in his services came from the newly minted Blues.
Birmingham City – backed by the riches of Knighthead Capital and boasting NFL legend Tom Brady as an investor – replaced the beloved John Eustace with the former England hero, even though the club was pushing for a play-off spot.
Rather predictably, this proved to be a massive mistake. Rooney won two of his 15 matches in charge and was dismissed just 84 days after he was brought in to lead the club’s new project.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Rooney again threw himself into another managerial gig, this time with struggling second-tier outfit Plymouth Argyle.
He fared slightly better on the south coast but that only proves to reinforce how bad his time in the west Midlands was.
Rooney managed five wins in 25 matches and all but condemned the Pilgrims to relegation this season.
Most damning of all is Evra’s claim that ‘when he leaves, they win’. The former defender’s jibe certainly holds some truth.
The coaches that have replaced Rooney have enjoyed better win percentages though in the case of Derby, Birmingham City and probably Plymouth, they have not been able to escape the drop.
The 39-year-old fared only slightly better at Plymouth but he was relieved of his duties in December
If the Pilgrims are looking for some encouragement, Derby spent just two seasons in the third tier, while the Blues all but guaranteed to make an immediate return to the Championship this season.
After his St Andrews exit in 2024, Rooney put forward a reason for his poor managerial record, highlighting just how little time he had in the hotseat.
‘Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be,’ he wrote in a statement. ‘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.’
Rooney is yet to dip his toe back into the managerial pool.
