Wayne Rooney was a ‘great appointment’ for Plymouth & picked the ‘right time’ to make coaching return despite being sacked after 25 games

Ex-England captain Rooney agreed to a mutual parting of ways at Home Park late in 2024, with it becoming painfully clear that change in the dugout was required. He had overseen a forgettable slump to the foot of the Championship table.

Said failings came on the back of an 83-day tenure at Birmingham, with NFL legend Tom Brady and the rest of the Blues’ board getting a big coaching call wrong at St Andrew’s. Rooney now sees his coaching reputation left in tatters, with a return to punditry being made while mulling over what to do next.

Plymouth have stated that Rooney’s appointment was never intended to be a PR exercise, despite a documentary series being lined up at one stage, and maintain that he was the best man for the job after carrying out a wide-ranging search for their new boss.

EFL pundit Lee Hendrie can see why that decision was made, telling Football League World: “Plymouth’s CEO suggested that Wayne Rooney was the best candidate when he was appointed - does it surprise me? No, not really. I think, at the time, I felt that Wayne’s obviously wanted to continue in his managerial career, which he did under the Plymouth ownership.

“And yes, you know, Wayne comes with a massive expectation as it's not and like you just turn up and you're playing against Plymouth, you've got the Rooney factor that's always been around his career and obviously his managerial career. But I do think it was, at the time, I think it was a great appointment for the football club.

“Unfortunately, it just didn't work out for Wayne as has been that way at Birmingham City when he went in there. There's timing, and sometimes I think you have to look at what he did at Derby, which I thought was excellent. Maybe some people would have said it was a free hit, but he’s still got to manage them players, and that's the thing. I do feel that it was right time for him when he was going into Plymouth.”

If Rooney is to return to the dugout at some point in the near future, then he needs to get his timing right. He has left himself open to U21 or backroom coaching offers, while it has also been suggested that he may need to drop down the Football League ladder and start from the bottom if he wants to work his way back up and become a contender for more prominent roles in the years to come.