Former Manchester United star Rooney claims teams won't often reach the Premier League playing the way Luton do

New Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney has made a bizarre jibe at Luton by stating the Hatters are the exception to the notion that only teams ‘who play football’ are able to win promotion to the Premier League

The ex-Everton, Manchester United and Derby County forward is no doubt a legend in the game for his glittering playing career, that saw him win titles galore while at Old Trafford, also scoring 53 goals for England, a record only recently surpassed by Harry Kane.

However, he has found his foray into management more difficult, starting out at Pride Park, with the Rams going down to League One after a hefty points deduction handed out once the club went into administration.

He then left to manage his former MLS side DC United, but an unsuccessful time in America saw him leave this month after failing to qualify for the play-offs yet again, winning just 14 matches out of his 53 in charge.

Replacing John Eustace at St Andrew’s, who was sacked with the Blues sitting sixth in the table, Rooney is yet to register a victory with his new side either, a 3-1 defeat at Southampton this afternoon making it three straight defeats, as they have dropped down to 16th place.

Booed off by his own fans after the 2-0 midweek home defeat to Hull City, Rooney was then interviewed on Sky about his hopes for his new team, and it was there he brought Luton into the conversation, saying: “I want to move the club forward and change the culture of the club, the identity of the club.

"If you look at the teams who get promoted, they're teams who play football, very rarely, Luton are probably the exception, very rarely do teams get promoted in a style which they've been playing.

"So for us to move forward we need to think bigger, think for the longer term of the club and in the short term that might be a bit of frustration for fans to see that as ultimately all you want is results.

"We know where we're trying to go and how we're trying to get there, so be patient.

"I get it, I understand, they parted ways with a very popular manager who did a good job in stabilising the club, so I understand a bit of frustration, of course I co.

"But they need to realise where we’re trying to go, not where we are now, and that’s our aim, that’s our ambition, and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve.”