Wayne Rooney could return to Birmingham City next season with a new club

Birmingham City sacked Wayne Rooney after just 15 matches in charge in January of last year - he could return to work in the Championship for next season

Wayne Rooney could return to St Andrew's next season, as Birmingham City prepare to have another crack at the Championship after a single campaign in League One. Blues claimed the third tier title over the weekend thanks to dropped points by Wrexham, and while they have half a dozen league games remaining still, all eyes are on next term.

Blues being in League One in the first place is partially the responsibility of Rooney, who endured a pretty miserable spell at Blues last season; he took over from current Derby County boss John Eustace in October 2023 but was sacked by New Year's Day, following a defeat at Leeds United which meant he'd won just two of his 15 games in charge.

Following the illness of Tony Mowbray and unforeseen interim period led by his assistant Mark Venus, it left temporary boss and the returning Gary Rowett too much to do in the remaining weeks of the campaign and they succumbed to relegation on the final day of the season after Blackburn Rovers won at promoted Leicester City.

Blues are marching back to the second tier at the first time of asking and in emphatic fashion, too, having won 39 of their 54 matches in all competitions under Chris Davies this season - and reports suggest that Rooney himself could find another club in the Championship opens the door for him to resume his managerial career.

Rooney was sacked by Plymouth Argyle earlier this season having taken over as Ian Foster's long-term successor last summer. While the Pilgrims won four of their opening seven home games, their away form was non-existent and Rooney was sacked on New Year's Eve after a run of six defeats in seven and with Argyle bottom of the league table.

While the Green Army are fighting hard to remain in the Championship under Miron Muslic and are three points adrift of safety with four games left to play, there is a certainty that Blues will be back at the second level of the English footballing pyramid next term - and Rooney might be there too.

Radio station talkSPORT claim that Rooney is a contender for the Blackburn job if they decide to part with former West Bromwich Albion, Barnsley and Watford manager Valerien Ismael, who only replaced Eustace in February but who has only claimed five points from a possible 24 in the opening stages of his reign.

Reports locally claim that Ismael's job is safe for now despite an underwhelming beginning to his tenure, which finds Rovers having lost ground in the hunt for a Championship play-off place - their only win under the Frenchman came in their last outing at Luton Town, but they remain seven points off the top six as things stand.

Can you see Rooney returning to work in the Championship? Tell us HERE

Everyday, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, f eatures and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Birmingham City content.

Our dedicated reporters Alex Dicken and Brian Dick - you can follow Alex on X here and Brian here - follow Blues around the country and they offer you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.

So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Blues newsletter here.

You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive's Blues team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories and insight from in and around the club.

If you prefer reading our Blues stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Blues as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.

Our weekly Birmingham City podcast, Keep Right On, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here and via Apple here.