'Wayne too good not to be success as boss'

FORMER United star Michael Carrick has admitted the careers of players are "irrelevant" when they move into management after seeing former team-mate Wayne Rooney lose his job.

- DAMIAN SPELLMAN, PA

Rooney, who appeared alongside Carrick for both United and England and established himself as record goalscorer for both before Harry Kane bettered his international record, was sacked by Sky Bet Championship Birmingham this week after just 15 games in charge.

The 38-year-old won 13 major trophies, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League, during his time at Old Trafford, but Carrick, who boasts a similarly impressive medal haul, knows that counts for little once the dugout beckons with contemporaries Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard also having endured difficult starts to their coaching careers.