Wayne Rooney 'frustrated' with Plymouth's lack of 'aggression' after losing managerial battle against ex-Man Utd team-mate in Carabao Cup

In a battle between former Manchester United players Rooney and Tom Cleverley, it was the Watford boss who came out on top on Tuesday night at Vicarage Road. Goals in either half from Mileta Rajovic sealed the win for the Hornets - something Rooney bemoaned after the defeat.

"It was just in the final third we didn't create enough chances, we didn't make enough runs, we didn't put the ball in the box enough, so I think that's something for us to look at. We have to improve on that, we need to score more goals. Frustrating in the end that we didn't do that because I felt we got into some really good areas where we could have done that," he said, via the Plymouth Herald.

"I think there was some positives in there. We moved the ball nicely at times and played some good stuff at times but I think we could have been more aggressive, both in possession and out of possession. I felt we turned down really good opportunities to put the ball in the box and try to cause problems, and try to get more shots at goal from that point of view. Overall, I was disappointed with the result. It was probably a fair result in the end but there was some positives in there as well."

Five games into his Plymouth tenure, Rooney has won just one of those matches - a 3-0 win over League Two team Cheltenham Town in the previous round of the competition. His side sit 21st in the Championship and if he doesn't get results soon, the 38-year-old could find himself looking for a new job again.

Rooney's Plymouth side return to Championship action on Saturday afternoon when they host Stoke City - who thumped Middlesbrough 5-0 at the Riverside on Tuesday night in the second round of the Carabao Cup.