Wayne Rooney’s biggest problem as a manager revealed by his former player.

John Ruddy, the goalkeeper at Birmingham City, claims that Wayne Rooney finds it difficult to recognize that he is a better player than those he teaches.

After holding managerial positions at Derby, DC United, and Birmingham, the former forward for Manchester United and Everton just began his fourth career in sports. Rooney, who is currently managing Plymouth Argyle, was at St Andrew’s for a just three months when he controversially took John Eustace’s place with the Blues in the play-off positions.
Rooney was removed of his duties without supervising a transfer window, after just 15 games in charge. Furthermore, Ruddy thinks that the players he had access to were not as skilled as his former boss was at football.

He said, “You forget how good a player he was,” on Ben Foster’s Fozcast. “He’s telling us, ‘No lads, I want you to do this,’ on the training pitch.

And with a single touch, he would perfectly place this ball over the top. You’re thinking, “Yeah, you’re used to that level.” We haven’t quite arrived.

“Because of his playing style, his footballing intellect is extremely sophisticated. When you’re someone like Wayne Rooney, it’s important to establish the dynamic that you’re not working with a group of Wayne Rooneys.”

Still, Ruddy had a favorable opinion of Rooney. The former Norwich shotstopper noted that although the former England captain prefers to be in the thick of things during practices, he aims to manage from a distance.

According to Ruddy, Wayne attempted to introduce a play style that prioritized possession and back-row buildup with the same personnel. He was more of an overseer because he was constantly on the field.

I had a few pleasant discussions with him and I thought we got along great. He stated unequivocally that he would rather manage than coach.

He has backroom workers to help with setup and delivery of sessions; he won’t be doing it all the time. However, he would come and go throughout the meetings.”

Rooney feels that his new position as head coach of Plymouth Argyle, which was announced last month, is the perfect fit for him.

He remarked, “I would like to thank the Chairman and Board for their faith in me. Taking this role at Plymouth Argyle feels like the perfect next step in my career.”