October 27th 2023.
Rio Ferdinand has backed his old teammate Wayne Rooney to turn things around following a difficult start to his managerial career at Birmingham City. The 38-year-old has lost his first two matches in charge of the Blues, causing them to drop from 6th to 12th in the table.
The former Manchester United striker was met with boos and one fan even yelled for him to "f*** off back to America" after their 2-0 loss to Hull City on Wednesday night.
Despite this, Ferdinand is confident Rooney is the right man for the job and will be there to help if he needs it. He told his FIVE YouTube channel that he won't be reaching out to the former DC United manager in the midst of the pressure, but he'll be happy to pick up the phone if Rooney calls.
He added: "Sometimes he can bounce stuff off me, or air what he needs to air out. We’ve had that relationship for a while. I think he’s got a couple of people he speaks to like that. We might not speak to each other for a couple of months and then all of a sudden, bang! And he just vents a little bit."
Ferdinand believes the biggest challenge Rooney faces is getting the players to believe in him. He said: "I think that’s the biggest thing for Wayne, converting those guys into being believers, but you need results to get that. They could be saying he’s good, but until you’re winning players don’t genuinely believe in you until you hit three points regularly."
Ultimately, Ferdinand has faith that Rooney will be able to get Birmingham City back on track. He concluded: "I think he’ll get it right. I hope he does. It won’t be for the want of trying and his professionalism, that’s for sure."
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