Wayne Rooney says failing to be given the chance to sign players is his biggest disappointment from his time as Birmingham manager.

The Manchester United and England legend replaced fan favourite John Eustace at St Andrew's in October, but was sacked after just 15 games at the start of January.

Rooney won just two of those matches - losing on nine occasions - as he took the Blues from sixth in the Championship table to 20th spot.

And he has stressed that he had a plan to bolster the Birmingham squad, but wasn't given the chance to turn the club's fortunes around.

Speaking on BBC Sport during Man United's win at Nottingham Forest, the 38-year-old discussed his ill-fated spell at the Midlands outfit, where he was asked if the job came at the wrong time.

To which he said: "No, when you look back and reflect, maybe the timing of when I went in, John Eustace was doing well.

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"As I've said before, I don't think the fans ever accepted me from day one. I was just disappointed I didn't get to the transfer window.

"Because myself, the owners, everyone at the club knew we had to bring players in, and to not have the opportunity to do that, that was my only disappointment."

Rooney, who previously managed Derby and MLS side DC United, has incredibly never signed a player for a transfer fee.

His time in charge at Pride Park between 2020 and 2022 came during their administration era, while only free transfers were brought in Stateside.

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