Former England skipper, Wayne Rooney, has been announced as the new head coach of Championship team, Plymouth Argyle.
The 38-year-old steps into the shoes of Ian Foster, who was relieved of his duties on April 1st following a string of unsatisfactory performances.
This marks Rooney’s return to coaching after his stint with Birmingham City ended abruptly on January 2nd. His tenure there was marked by a series of losses – nine out of 15 games – leading to his dismissal. The Blues, who were in the Championship play-off spots when Rooney joined, found themselves demoted to League One earlier this month.
Rooney’s appointment at Plymouth Argyle is his fourth head coach role. He held the record as England’s highest goal scorer with 53 goals until Harry Kane surpassed him in March 2023.
Rooney’s managerial career has seen him navigate through challenging times. He was at the helm of Derby County during a financially turbulent period. Despite guiding the Rams to avoid relegation in his debut season in May 2021, he departed a year later when the club was relegated following a 21-point deduction due to financial irregularities.
Rooney also spent 15 months managing DC United in the United States. However, his tenure ended in October last year when he accepted the Birmingham job, after failing to lead the Washington-based team to the Major League Soccer (MLS) play-offs.
Rooney’s coaching team at Plymouth Argyle will include first-team coaches Kevin Nancekivell and Simon Ireland, along with goalkeeping coach Darryl Flahavan. Further appointments to the backroom staff are expected in the near future.