Wayne Rooney pulls out of BBC's Match Of The Day with 'painful' announcement after Birmingham City sacking

Former Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney was pencilled in to appear on BBC's Match Of The Day for the first time on Saturday night - but a recent injury suffered while on holiday with his family put paid to his debt on the iconic football highlights show.

Rooney has been out of work since being sacked by Blues in the wake of their 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on New Year's Day, and he has dabbled in some punditry work with TNT Sports since. An appearance on MOTD is, as he describes, something he's wished to feature on and offer analysis to since he was young.

For now, though, Rooney will have to wait for his debut after injuring his back while away with his family recently. It's expected that the BBC will invite Rooney to appear on the show in the first instance when he's available and fit to return to work.

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"Gutted not to be making my debut on the iconic @BBCMOTD show tonight, it’s something I have wanted to do since I was little," Rooney posted. "Unfortunately I have sustained a painful back injury during a holiday with my family but I look forward to being part of the team in the near future. Good luck to @GaryLineker and the guys for tonight's show and see you soon."

Rooney was appointed by Blues in October, having recently left DC United in the MLS. He had previously had Championship experience with Derby County, who were relegated to League One despite his best efforts, but his arrival to St Andrew's came at a time when John Eustace had guided them into the play-off places in the early stages of the season.

There was an immediate pressure, then, to maintain the club's position, but the transition wasn't a smooth one and the Blues squad - largely recruited with Eustace's influence and approval - only slid down the table and into bottom third of the division. In total, Rooney won just two of his 15 games in charge and he was replaced by Tony Mowbray at the turn of the year.

Blues, to this day, are still feeling the effects of the off-field upheaval but, under Gary Rowett, they've won two of their five games since his return and they are out of the relegation places by a point with three matches left to play.