Wayne Rooney has fired back at Tom Brady, calling criticism of the former England striker's efforts on the touchline during a doomed spell as manager of Birmingham City "very unfair."

Rooney lasted just 83 days at St. Andrew's, with the Blues falling 14 places in the Championship while going 2W-4D-9L in his 15 games in charge.

The poor performance understandably drew criticism, but Rooney took issue with a specific line from Brady that was captured in the Prime Video documentary "Brady and the Blues," which saw Brady — a co-owner of Birmingham City since investing in 2023 — opine that he had "a little concern over our coach's work ethic."

Speaking on his forthcoming BBC podcast "The Wayne Rooney Show," Rooney couldn't help but push back, citing Brady's lack of soccer knowledge as part of what informed the NFL great's thoughts.

"Football is not NFL," said Rooney in a phrase that makes clear that the ex-Everton and Manchester United star has put his time in the U.S. with D.C. United behind him. "NFL works for three months a year. Players do need rest as well, so I think he's very unfair, the way he's come out and portrayed that."

Rooney contended that Brady dropped in for a Birmingham training session just one time during his tenure, "the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway."

"I don't think he really understood football that well," Rooney concluded, saying that he was "really disappointed with the comment."

One thing Rooney and Brady did appear to agree on was that the club's squad during the 2023-24 season wasn't good enough, with both criticizing a group of players who — after starting 5W-3D-3L before John Eustace was controversially kicked to the curb — ended up having to play for seven different managers in one chaotic 10-month span.

In the documentary, Brady called the players "lazy and entitled," while Rooney's podcast includes a claim that they "weren't really the players who could take the club forward."

"When I went into Birmingham, they were in a mess really," said Rooney, reflecting on a club that ended up dropping down to League One for a season before bouncing back thanks in no small part to outspending their League One rivals. "Birmingham do look like they're getting it right now, which is good and I think what they have done is got the players out that they needed to get out."

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: Rooney pushes back on Brady criticism: 'I don't think he really understood football'

Reporting by Jason Anderson, USA TODAY / Pro Soccer Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect