Wayne Rooney has disclosed that he experienced a similar circumstance to Spurs manager Thomas Frank during his tenure at Birmingham City, which involved Leeds United.

Rooney’s managing career has been a rollercoaster since he retired. He began his career as Derby County manager, guiding the Rams to Championship safety despite a huge points deduction before quitting in 2022.

Rooney subsequently moved to DC United as head coach in the MLS, where he improved results but failed to reach the playoffs. Not long later, he returned to England in somewhat questionable circumstances. He took over as manager of Birmingham City in the Championship, where he served for a brief and controversial period before being fired in January 2024.

Despite John Eustace’s great performance, the Blues decided to hire the iconic England and Manchester United figure. It was not the end of his management career, however.

Now a pundit, his most recent football club experience was as manager of Plymouth Argyle as they tried to stay in the Championship. Rooney’s career has generally went downhill since a promising start with Derby.

Wayne Rooney reveals the Thomas Frank parallel regarding Leeds. United

Tottenham are suffering, and Thomas Frank is under pressure, which Rooney has felt before. Frank has rarely had that, given how successful his seven-year spell at Brentford was.

Tottenham’s expectations differ, with them finishing 14th and five points behind the top half, which is far from where they planned to be this season. Rooney addressed the subject and detailed what happened while he was under pressure from Birmingham.

Rooney stated: “I feel for Thomas Frank yesterday. I have been there. As a manager, I’ve faced the prospect of being fired on the pitch.And I could see it in him, so he knows what’s coming. I felt horrible for him, since I was booed at Elland Road.Obviously, I was being thrashed by the Leeds fans, but then the Birmingham fans joined in. I had the entire stadium cheering for me!”But, certainly, I felt for Thomas Frank yesterday. I’m not sure if he’s lost the players, but they’re clearly not performing for him. “I believe he has lost his fans.”You’ve heard that in the past couple games. So I believe, unfortunately, he will lose his job.”

Wayne Rooney’s managing record

Rooney’s 15th game as Birmingham manager ended in a 3-0 defeat at Elland Road. They won only twice during that time, with Leeds handing him his tenth defeat of the season.

It’s been a tough time for Rooney, which is why he has been appearing on BBC’s Match of the Day regularly, as well as Amazon Prime’s UEFA Champions League coverage.

Rooney is sure to return to management at some point in his career, and his experiences with Plymouth and visiting Leeds as Birmingham manager have provided valuable learning opportunities.