Wayne Rooney has thanked Plymouth Argyle fans for the “memories we will share forever” after his 25-game spell as manager ended with the Championship bottom club four points adrift.
Rookie Rooney has been under pressure after overseeing a 14-game winning streak, including a 2-0 defeat at rivals Oxford United on Sunday which was Argyle’s fourth successive away defeat without scoring.
“To the Green Army, thank you for making the games at Home Park so special,” said the 39-year-old, who also praised his coaching staff, club chairman Simon Hallett and director of football Neil Dewsnip.
“These are memories we will share forever. Plymouth Argyle will always have a special place in my heart and I will continue to watch and be interested in their results.”
IMPORTANT: Wayne Rooney mutually agrees to leave Plymouth 🚨 pic.twitter.com/VkVf2toR56
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 31, 2024
Rooney is leaving Plymouth
Rooney, assistant manager Mike Phelan and manager Simon Ireland have left the Pilgrims by mutual consent, with first-team manager Kevin Nansekivell and team captain Joe Edwards in charge of the visit of Bristol City on Wednesday (12.30pm .GMT) and Darryl Flachavan to continue as goalkeeper. coach.
Phelan had coached Rooney during his time as assistant manager at Manchester United, first under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2008 and 2013 and later under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick between 2018 and 2022.
Rooney Plymouth record
United’s all-time top scorer described joining Argyle as “the perfect next step in my career” when he was surprisingly handed the job in May.
Hallett said Rooney’s “ambitions and goals” are a perfect match for the club, adding that he would provide an “exciting and aggressive brand of football that we all love to see and will help us achieve the club’s mission”.
Steven Schumacher led Plymouth to promotion in 2023 before leaving in December that year to join Stoke City, with his replacement Ian Foster taking over for a dismal three-month spell before an interim management team ensured safety on its final day last season.
Starting with a 4-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday as part of a four-game winless streak, Argyle struggled throughout the season and never secured back-to-back wins under Rooney.
They recorded back-to-back home wins over Sunderland and Luton Town in September and beat fourth-tier Cheltenham Town to reach the second round of the Carabao Cup, but have not won since beating Portsmouth 1-0 at home on November 5 .
More to come
2024-12-31 10:40:00
