Former England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney was named the new manager of Championship side Plymouth on Saturday.
Taking the helm at Argyle marks the fourth managerial position in Rooney’s coaching career, which has yet to match the success of his illustrious playing days.
“Taking 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 to build a squad of players to play expansive football – and to entertain the Green Army,” Rooney said in a club statement.
The 38-year-old was dismissed from his position at Birmingham earlier this year after just 83 days.
Rooney managed to secure only two victories in his 15 matches with the Blues, a factor in their relegation to League One.
Before this, he had a brief stint with his former club, DC United, in Major League Soccer.
However, Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer did excel under challenging conditions during his first managerial role at Derby County, where the club was facing administration.
“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,” Plymouth’s chairman, Simon Hallett, said.
“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,” he added.
Plymouth narrowly escaped relegation in their inaugural season back in English football’s second tier after a 14-year absence, securing a 21st place finish in the Championship.
