Wayne Rooney to become Man Utd coach?! Former Red Devils team-mate tips sacked Plymouth manager to return to Old Trafford as specialist to help misfiring Rasmus Hojlund

After just 25 games at the helm, ex-England captain Rooney was relieved of his duties at Home Park on New Year’s Eve – with the mutual termination of his contract meaning that no compensation will be have to be paid. Having previously lasted just 83 days in charge of Birmingham, it remains to be seen whether another managerial post will be sought.

Ex-United defender Wes Brown believes his former team-mate will step back into the dugout, telling The Sports Daily: "I thought in some of the close games I saw that Plymouth were unlucky but this is a results business and they couldn’t find enough wins. The owners have decided to go in a new direction but Wayne is the sort of guy to keep his head up and wait to see if another opportunity arises. He’ll be ready to take a new challenge again in no time but of course he’ll be really disappointed as he was so determined to do well there.

"It’s not quite gone to plan but we will have to wait and see, that’s football. Wayne is a good guy and it’s nice to see that they came to an agreement there. It definitely helps Plymouth going forward and he would’ve known that. He wanted to do well but it didn’t work out but he is a good human and would hate to put them under any strain in that sense."

If Rooney does not fancy being a number one again in the coaching department, then there are other avenues for him to explore. Brown believes his vast experience could be put to good use at Old Trafford, adding: "If Wayne wanted to spend time as a striking coach he would be absolutely brilliant at it, he was one of the best goalscorers we’ve ever seen and was a top playmaker as well. If he wanted to do that he would be very good on movement and things like that, he was one of the best to do it.

"Could he help Rasmus Hojlund at United? I think all young strikers would love to listen to Wayne and his knowledge. When I was a young player I remember getting a few tips from Laurent Blanc and the little things like that can really help. If Wayne was on hand to give out some advice I’m sure everyone would be willing to listen."

Rooney may be willing to listen to offers from United as he will be returning to his family home in Cheshire from a forgettable stint in Devon. His son, Kai, is also on the Red Devils’ books as he continues to catch the eye in a fabled academy system.