Wayne Rooney confirmed as Plymouth Argyle manager
Former England captain Wayne Rooney has returned to management with Championship side Plymouth.
The 38-year-old, who left Birmingham in January after just 15 games in charge, has signed a three-year deal to become head coach at Argyle after beating off strong competition for the position.
Ex-Manchester United striker Rooney said: “Taking this role at Plymouth Argyle feels like the perfect next step in my career – and I would like to thank the chairman and board for the faith they have shown in me.
“This is an opportunity to be part of an exciting project. I look forward to helping to build a squad of players to play expansive football – and to entertain the Green Army.
“I have experienced first-hand how talented the existing group of players is here – and also the incredible atmosphere at Home Park. The club is on an exciting long-term journey, with a progressive plan in place. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of it.
“I can’t wait for the Championship season to start in August.”
Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip knows Rooney from his time as boss of Everton’s academy, from which the striker emerged as a teenager.
Before his short stint at St Andrew’s, Rooney had cut his teeth in management at Derby and then in the United States with MLS side DC United.
Plymouth chairman Simon Hallett said: “Throughout the interview process, Wayne showed himself to be a passionate, intelligent, and knowledgeable candidate with an appetite to prove himself and develop his managerial career.
“So much so, that he reached out to the board when we started this process and was attracted by the project at hand and showed a real plan on how to lead the football club forward.
“His ambitions and aims match ours perfectly and we feel he is the perfect candidate to provide the exciting and attacking brand of football that we all like to see and help us achieve the club’s mission.
“We look forward to another exciting season of Championship football, and I welcome him to Argyle.”
Rooney will be in the BBC studios for Saturday’s FA Cup final between his former club Manchester United and league champions Manchester City.
He was recently announced as a pundit for the BBC during this summer’s European Championships, but he has never made a secret of his desire to return to management.
In February, he said: “I definitely want to get back into management. It was a setback what happened at Birmingham but I’m a fighter and I want to get back into it.
“You know as a manager [being sacked] is part of the job and you will have setbacks. It’s about how you bounce back.
“I’ve had some good time to reflect and will make sure I get it right next time.”
Rooney is expected to take analyst Pete Shuttleworth, who has worked with him at his previous clubs Derby County, DC United and Birmingham City, with him to Devon.
Rooney lasted only 83 days at Birmingham after succeeding the popular John Eustace, with the club firing the former United forward on January 2 after a defeat at Leeds.
Birmingham were eventually relegated to League One, with Rooney’s difficult tenure regarded as one of the key reasons behind the drop. However, he was seeking a revamp of his squad in the January transfer window.
Argyle finished 21st in last season’s Championship, only a point above the relegation zone.
