West Ham chief Karren Brady has ridiculed the journey of former Premier League stars Daniel Sturridge and Jack Rodwell to Australia's A-League Men competition.
The two England internationals both decided to rejuvenate their careers Down Under recently, with Sturridge signing for Perth Glory and Rodwell for the Western Sydney Wanderers.
In a column for The Sun titled 'Daniel Sturridge and Jack Rodwell failed to deliver on immense potential and their Aussie ending is a sad one', Brady provided her take on the careers of the English duo and explained the synergy between their international and A-League Men debuts - with a backhander to the Australian league.
"Jack Rodwell and Daniel Sturridge are surely leading representatives of that sad school of international players who failed to deliver as much as they promised or hoped," Brady wrote.
"By one of those coincidences that make you wonder whether some divinity playfully messes with football, the careers of the pair first nudged against one another - or didn’t quite - when both were picked by Fabio Capello in the England squad for friendlies with Spain and Sweden ten years ago.
"Rodwell started in the second of the two at Wembley and was brought off in the 59th minute and replaced by - you guessed it - Sturridge. Both were making international debuts.
"If there is a football spirit he was at it again a few days ago when he went to work on the other side of the world in Oz.
"Rodwell made his debut for Sydney Western Strollers while Sturridge did likewise with Perth Glory."
Sturridge has only played nine minutes for the Glory since coming on as a substitute in their season opener against Adelaide United on November 20, with the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker still building match fitness, according to club officials.
Glory coach Richard Garcia hinted the 32-year-old is on target for more game time in mid-December, with Perth playing Brisbane Roar at Moreton Daily Stadium on December 18 and Adelaide five days later at Coopers Stadium.
Rodwell only confirmed his signing for the Wanderers just prior to the start of the season and started his first match against Wellington Phoenix last weekend after substitute appearances in his first two matches.