By Wayne Veysey

11th Oct, 2023 | 10:00am

Sources: Eustace knew Wayne Rooney was joining Birmingham months ago

Birmingham City had lined up Wayne Rooney for the manager role in the summer – and John Eustace knew all about it, sources have told Football Insider.

Blues fans have voiced their displeasure after the popular Eustace, 43, was sacked following two wins that took the club to sixth in the Championship table.

Rooney has agreed a deal to replace him – with Football Insider revealing on Sunday (8 October) that Ashley Cole and John O’Shea have both agreed to join his backroom staff.

But Birmingham have held back on announcing the appointment as the club’s hierarchy enter damage limitation mode.

Club CEO Garry Cook released a letter on Tuesday (10 October), claiming Eustace was “misaligned” with the ambitions of the Blues’ leadership.

He reassured supporters that “the future is bright and we are on the rise again”.

Birmingham’s US-based owners have delayed appointing Rooney until the autumn because they wanted to wait until his DC United was about to expire, so they would avoid paying any compensation.

But their tactics appear to have backfired, given the response of the fan base.

It is believed Eustace has long been aware of the Rooney whispers but he has been determined to do his job professionally and make his mark in management.

He led Birmingham to five wins from their opening 11 Championship games of the season, including recent back-to-back victories over West Brom and Huddersfield.

The Solihull-born manager helped steer the St Andrews’ club clear of relegation last term, helping them to a 17th-place finish after winning 14 of 46 league games.

Birmingham are next in action against Middlesbrough on 21 October, by which time they could have Rooney in the dugout.

In other news, Premier League clubs told Sunderland will accept £15m bid for star man.