Wayne Rooney ignores sack threat to identify transfer targets – with under pressure Plymouth boss revealing plans for January window

The ex-England captain has seen questions asked of his future at Home Park after enduring a run of one win in 10. Plymouth have slipped into the Championship relegation zone as a result, with a disgruntled fan base beginning to lose patience with those behind the scenes.

Rooney does have the support of his board for now and claims to be embracing the pressure that he finds himself working under, rather than hiding away from it. He is giving no thought to a potential severing of ties with the Pilgrims, with it his intention to bring fresh faces on board at the start of 2025.

Quizzed on talks with those above him and efforts to bolster the collective ranks in Devon, Rooney said: “There is always honest conversations between myself, Neil (Dewsnip, director of football), Andrew (Parkinson, chief executive officer, Simon - whoever that may be - about how can we improve, and from a recruitment point of view what players can we bring in to help, what players do we need, what players do we need to get out.

“These are all conversations which are going on, so come January we are in the best possible position we can be to get what we need. Getting the injured players back will be like new signings for us but we all know, we are under no illusion, we need to improve the squad, that's there for everyone to see. We are working extremely hard to put ourselves in the best position to do that as early as possible.”

Rooney has taken in just 21 games in charge of Plymouth, having previously managed just 15 during a forgettable stint working with Tom Brady and Co at Birmingham. His contract is due to run until 2027, but whether he gets the opportunity to honour that deal is yet to be determined.