Rooney expected to be confirmed as Plymouth boss

Wayne Rooney is expected to be confirmed as the head coach of Championship side Plymouth Argyle on Saturday after holding talks about the vacancy.

Rooney, 38, is keen to re-establish his reputation after a disastrous spell at Birmingham last season, when he lost nine games out of 15.

Argyle are looking for a new boss after the dismissal of Ian Foster towards the end of last season.

Director of football Neil Dewsnip and coach Kevin Nancekivell took over for the remainder of the campaign and guided Plymouth to safety, ironically at Birmingham’s expense.

Dewsnip knows Rooney from his time as a coach at Everton’s academy.

Rooney made 763 appearances as a player during spells with Everton, Manchester United, MLS club DC United and Derby.

He moved into a player-coach role with the Rams in November 2020 and announced his retirement two months later, after being named permanent manager.

The former England striker oversaw 85 games at Derby before moving back to America to become manager of former club DC United.

Rooney was then appointed Birmingham manager in October 2023, but he was sacked less than three months later.