The 43-year-old was appointed as Blues head coach in July 2022 and oversaw 21 wins in his 63 games in charge, the last of which came on Friday night in the 3-1 victory over West Brom in a West Midlands derby.

Reports have surfaced suggesting Wayne Rooney is in the frame to replace Eustace following his mutually-agreed exit from MLS outfit DC United.

The links have further intensified after Rooney's son Kai began following Birmingham and several players on Instagram.

A Birmingham statement explaining Eustace's sacking said "it is essential that the board of directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire football club".

A new manager will be announced "in the coming days", Birmingham said, "who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear 'no fear' playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace".

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Deja vu for Birmingham fans as club hierarchy push for big-name appointment

Sky Sports EFL editor Simeon Gholam:

For supporters of Birmingham City, there will be a real feeling of deja vu with this announcement.

The year was 2016, and the Blues were on the cusp of the play-offs and had been taken over by Trillion Trophy Asia a couple of months earlier.

The owners then decided to dispense with Gary Rowett, who had the side three points off sixth, to go with a big-name appointment in Gianfranco Zola.

It was a move that proved disastrous. Zola picked up just two wins in his 24 games in charge, taking the club from seventh in the league to 21st.

The season ended with Harry Redknapp in charge for their final three games, and he managed to win two of them to keep the club just about in the Championship.

After two 10th-placed finishes under Rowett in the seasons prior to his dismissal, the club have not finished above 17th in seven seasons since.

Birmingham fans will be hoping lightning does not strike twice, and the next manager will take them forwards rather than back into decline.