Jamie Carragher slams Troy Deeney over Forest Green rant and makes Erik ten Hag comparison

Jamie Carragher has criticised Troy Deeney over comments he made as Forest Green manager - and made a comparison to Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

Deeney was appointed as manager of Forest Green in December, having joined the struggling League Two side as a player-coach earlier in the season.

The former Watford star spent just six games in charge of the side, failing to win a match, before he was sacked on January 18.

Forest Green are currently nine points adrift of safety in League Two, and haven't won a league game since October 28.

Deeney was involved in several controversies during his time as manager. He was handed a four-match touchline ban by the FA after it was found that he threatened to punch a match official, with the verdict arriving hours before his sacking.

Meanwhile, the 35-year-old's furious rant after Forest Green's 2-0 defeat to Harrogate on December 29 went viral, and saw him placed under heavy scrutiny.

He called right-back Fankaty Dabo 'awful', and said he 'would not get a game in the National League'. Dabo was playing for Championship side Coventry last season before being released at the end of his contract.

He also claimed he would rather watch an episode of Antiques Roadshow rather than his side's first half performance, calling it 'boring'.

Furthermore, Deeney added that there were 'too many babies from top to bottom' at the club.

Speaking on the latest edition of The Overlap's Stick to Football, Carragher was critical of Deeney's approach, describing it as 'out-of-order'.

He explained: "I don't think what Troy Deeney did at Forest Green Rovers was right.

"Sometimes a manager says something in a press conference, like the situation with Erik ten Hag and Jadon Sancho, when you look at the interview, the manager has even said anything that bad. I don't think it was that bad - so, Sancho never plays again for United.

"I thought the Troy Deeney thing was over-the-top, with what he said about a player. It was out of order.

"He was saying he was weak, one of the worst players - didn't he say that he wouldn't get a game in the Conference, or something about one of his players?

"You can't say that."

After the rant, Deeney later publicly apologised to Dabo while on punditry duty for a separate game on Sky Sports, but that wasn't enough to save him from the sack.

He has since been replaced by former Burnley, Bristol City and Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill, who will attempt to inspire a strong late-season run to keep Forest Green in League Two.

Jamie Carragher was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.