Like so many former Premier League stars, Wayne Rooney opted to go into management after retiring from a glittering playing career.
Few made the jump as quickly as Rooney who went from being captain of Derby County, to becoming their manager almost overnight, but that itch to join in every now and again never really leaves you.
Speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football, where the panel discussed pre-season and all of the good and bad that comes with it, Rooney recalls one horror incident in his Derby days.
With his team needing an extra man to make up the numbers, the ex England star was only too willing to join in, but after an encounter with an Irishman Jason Knight, Rooney soon regretted that decision.
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I put one my players out in pre-season", admitted Rooney.
"It was Jason Knight, an Irish lad, the most honest player I've ever met, a brilliant attitude, would run through brick walls for you.
"So we're in the pre-season, for the 11 vs 11 they didn't have enough players, so I joined in, and as the ball is coming, me and Knighty come in for a tackle, and I put him out - he was out for eight weeks.
"It was just a tackle, like block tackle, but he had done his ankle and he was out for eight weeks."
Just because you swap the shin pads for the whistle, doesn't mean you can just turn off that killer instinct when you're thrown back into the deep end.
Roy Keane, who was also on the show, admitted that stepping in for a player whenever you are managing a club can be tempting, but is best to avoid.
Yeah you can't join in, but it's tempting when you're so young. Ive done it, I've done it.
"The boxes aren't so bad, but if it's an 11 vs 11, or eight vs eight, you have to get a young kid involved or just play with the extra man."
Considering that Keane was famed for his hard tackling and inability to turn down a 50/50 challenge, it was probably for the best that he stayed away from those situations - more for his player's sake.
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