WAYNE ROONEY is set for an immediate clash with Manchester United legend and former team-mate Michael Carrick if he takes over at Birmingham.
The former Red Devils ace is expected to be appointed Brum’s new boss in the coming days after John Eustace was sacked.
SunSport reported last month that former England captain Rooney has been in constant touch with Birmingham’s part-owner, and NFL legend, Tom Brady.
And it now seems St Andrews chiefs have moved quickly to get their man after Rooney left MLS side DC United at the weekend.
The 37-year-old’s first fixture if he returns to English football will be against Middlesbrough after the international break.
It means he will face old Red Devils pal Carrick, who is the manager of Middlesbrough, at the Riverside on October 21.
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The pair had huge success during their time at Old Trafford, with Rooney scoring 253 goals in 559 appearances during his 13 years at the club.
Carrick played alongside Rooney for over a decade and made over 464 appearances for the Red Devils from 2006-2018.
The pair spent the majority of their career at United under Sir Alex Ferguson and won major titles including five Premier Leagues, a Champions League and four Community Shields.
Rooney then left United in 2017 for a short but sweet one-year spell at boyhood club Everton before tackling the MLS with DC United.
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He enjoyed 15 months at the American giants before ending his career back on home soil at Derby County in 2021.
The ex-forward then kickstarted his managerial career at Derby and then returned to DC in 2022.
However, Rooney called it a day after DC failed to qualify for the play-offs for a second straight season.
Meanwhile, Carrick remained at United after retirement and was briefly made caretaker manager after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left his role in 2021.
But swiftly after Ralf Rangnick was made interim manager the England ace headed to the Championship to manage Middlesbrough, where he has been since 2022.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
