Sutton admits he'd be surprised to see Wayne Rooney in the Championship again

Chris Sutton has claimed he would be 'surprised' if Wayne Rooney was given another chance of managing a club in the Championship after his sacking by Birmingham.

The Man United legend was axed this week to end his disastrous 83-day reign in charge of the Blues and leave his managerial career in tatters, with the club nosediving from sixth when he took over to 20th after 15 games.

It follows a difficult first spell at Derby in League One before moving to DC United - and Sutton cannot foresee Rooney returning to management in the second tier after being 'stuffed' by the Midlands outfit in such a short space of time.

'Yes, Wayne Rooney will come back into management,' he told It's All Kicking Off.

'He loves the game. And that's why I think he'll come back. But at what level? I haven't got a clue. He can't come back in at Premier League level. I'd be surprised if he got another chance in the championship.'

Sutton took issue with the club's promise to bring a 'no fear' brand of football under Rooney after he replaced the popular John Eustace, before the former striker oversaw a string of woeful results.

'I think he was stuffed at Birmingham City,' Sutton added. 'Stuffed by [director] Gary Cook, stuffed by the 'no fear' football thing, which has come back to bite the owners in the backside. That was awful. They promised a manager and a brand of football, which was unrealistic. That's been the biggest issue.

'I think Birmingham fans expected something different and they didn't get it. Then you go back to the John Eustace sacking, how unfortunate it was for Eustace, but unfortunate for Birmingham City. They were flying under John Eustace and now they're in a relegation scrap.'

He added: 'Look at Mikel Arteta, who did the hard yards