Wayne Rooney has been confirmed as coach of Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle have confirmed the appointment of Wayne Rooney as their new coach.

Rooney (38 years old) has been out of management since his dismissal from coaching Birmingham City after only 83 days of coaching the team.

Former Manchester United and England The striker succeeds former Plymouth coach Ian Foster, who was sacked in April after less than three months at the helm. Plymouth finished 20th in their first season since 2009–10 in the Championship, one place above the relegation zone.

Rooney said: “Taking on this role at Plymouth Argyle feels like the perfect next step in my career.

“This is an opportunity to be part of an exciting project. I look forward to helping build a squad of players to play extended football – and to entertain the Green Army.”

“I’ve witnessed first-hand how talented the current crop of players are here – as well as the amazing atmosphere at Home Park. The club is on an exciting long-term journey, with a progressive plan in place. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of it.

First-team coaches Kevin Nanskivel and Simon Ireland and goalkeeping coach Darryl Flahavan will form part of Rooney’s backroom staff, with more additions expected in due course.

The search for Foster’s successor has been led by Argyle’s Home Park director of football, Neil Diocep, who has an existing relationship with Rooney having worked in Everton’s academy during the former striker’s rise through the Merseyside club’s youth ranks.

Simon Hallett, Chairman of Plymouth FC, said: “Throughout the interview process, Wayne demonstrated himself as a passionate, intelligent and knowledgeable candidate with an appetite to prove himself and develop his managerial career.

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“He approached the board when we started this process and was attracted to the project at hand and showed a real plan on how to take the football club forward.

“His ambitions and goals align perfectly with ours and we feel he is the ideal candidate to deliver the exciting, attacking brand of football we all want to see and help us deliver on the club’s mission.”

Rooney has worked mostly as a pundit since his split from Birmingham, appearing on Sky, TNT Sports and BBC Sport.

Earlier this week, it was announced that he will be part of the BBC’s live coverage of this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

Birmingham were sixth in the Championship when Rooney took over, but a run of wins and nine defeats in 15 matches led to his sacking, leaving the Midlands club six points above the relegation zone.

The Blues were relegated to League One on the final day of the 2023-24 season, finishing behind Plymouth – whose final day win at home to Hull City secured their place in the Championship above Birmingham.

Rooney began his management career with Derby County in the position of caretaker player and coach. He took up the position on a permanent basis in January 2021 and led the club to safety later that season.

Derby were placed into receivership at the start of the 2021-22 season, and were hit with a 21-point penalty that would eventually lead to their relegation to the top flight.

Rooney also spent 15 months at the helm of Major League Soccer team DC United, but left by mutual consent in October 2023 after failing to qualify for the play-offs.

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(Photo by Morgan Harlow/Getty Images)