Plymouth Argyle: Michael Cooper and Morgan Whittaker situations will be on Wayne Rooney's mind | OneFootball

The new Pilgrims boss has a couple of dilemmas to sort this summer

Plymouth Argyle reported back for pre-season this week, as Wayne Rooney finally got the chance to put his new Pilgrims squad through their paces after being announced as boss back in May.

There were already three new signings turning up at Home Park to meet their teammates, with Nathanael Ogbeta joining permanently from Swansea City, while striker Muhamed Tijani made a season-long loan move from Slavia Prague.

Leeds United star Darko Gyabi also returns for another season in Devon, following his bright stint in a green shirt last season, which was unfortunately cut short by injury.

But after the meet and greet has been completed, Rooney will have more pressing issues to focus on this summer, with the future of two of his biggest stars likely to be decided in the coming weeks.

Wayne Rooney must do all he can to keep Morgan Whittaker at Plymouth Argyle

The first thing Rooney will want to do as Argyle boss is keep Morgan Whittaker under lock and key, so the attacking talent can’t leave the club for pastures new this summer.

The forward netted 19 times for the Greens as they stayed in the Championship on the final day of the previous campaign, with another eight assists seeing him register 27 goal contributions for the season in PL2.

It was no surprise to see Premier League interest in the main man last January, with Brentford and Fulham both said to be keeping tabs, as well as Italian giants Lazio, but Whittaker stayed put.

Wolves and Brentford have been linked again - something director of football Neil Dewsnip previously suggested the club were bracing themselves for.

"I think the first half of the season he was absolutely outstanding,” said Dewsnip, via Plymouth Live.

“He has contributed brilliantly in the second half but he probably hasn't been quite as potent - not as many goals, not as many chances.

"People would talk about Finn Azaz and the role he played in that. I'm sure that's relevant. So he has done incredibly well. He finished on 20 goals, that's some contribution for any club in the Championship.

"Good for Morgan. Will there be interest in him? I'm sure there will be. Good players are at a premium in the Championship. Even in the Premier League, so we will have to wait and see what develops.”

If the Greens do manage to keep hold of the former Swansea City man this summer, Rooney’s next dilemma will be setting up a team to get the most out of their star man next season.

With loanees Azaz and Luke Cundle leaving the club in January, teams were able to focus on shutting down Whittaker as quickly as possible in the second half of the last campaign, and his effect on games was impacted as a result.

The right-sided star needs to be surrounded by quality in the final third to help his game flourish, meaning recruitment has to be spot on this summer to create a fluid frontline.

Contract rebel Michael Cooper likely to leave Plymouth Argyle

Barely a month into his tenure as Argyle boss, and Rooney already faces a big task this summer, with highly-rated goalkeeper Michael Cooper likely to leave the club this summer.

The shot-stopper is said to have turned down a deal that would have made him the highest-paid player at the club last month, with Argyle likely to cash in on him in the coming weeks to maximise the profits they can make.

The 24-year-old will be a massive loss to the Pilgrims, with his reflexes in goal getting his boyhood side out of jail time and time again during his time with the club.

As well as that, Cooper’s presence of mind once he collects the ball is what makes him such a vital piece of the team, as he so often starts counter-attacks with his quick thinking and pinpoint distribution.

Rooney will have his work cut out to find someone who can have the same impact Cooper has had over the past four seasons he has been number one choice, although they will have extra funds to play with once he has moved on.

Although Conor Hazard started the previous campaign in goal, the Northern Irishman’s distribution was too often found to be lacking, and that attribute is what the Argyle recruitment team will be putting high on their checklist this summer, once Cooper sets sail.