"If things don’t go well with Rooney" - Pundit touts Steven Schumacher for potential Plymouth Argyle return | OneFootball

The Stoke City boss was axed by the Potters after just five matches of the Championship season

EFL pundit George Elek admits Steven Schumacher will likely feel hard done by after being sacked by Stoke City earlier this week, but believes the 40-year-old could replace Wayne Rooney at Plymouth Argyle if things don’t go well at Home Park.

Speaking on his Not The Top 20 Podcast, Elek expressed his surprise that the Potters boss was given the axe after just five games of the season, with City picking up two wins in that time.

Schumacher left the Greens to make the move to Staffordshire in December of last year, leaving many of the Argyle fanbase aggrieved that the man who steered them to League One promotion jumped ship just four months into the Championship campaign.

And although he may not be the most popular man in Devon at this moment in time, the podcast co-host was keen to point to Nathan Jones at Luton Town as an example where a returning manager had garnered success.

George Elek makes Steven Schumacher, Plymouth Argyle claim after Stoke exit

Schumacher leaves Stoke after just 29 matches in charge of the Potters, and had overseen eleven victories in that time, as well as 12 defeats.

The 1-0 defeat to Oxford United at the weekend was considered to be the final straw for the Potters’ hierarchy, who have immediately began the search for a new person to oversee first-team matters at the bet365 Stadium.

With the dismissal coming as something of a shock, Elek is confident that Schumacher’s reputation has not been tarnished by his spell in the Potteries, and has tipped him to get another top job in the future.

The co-host also threw the idea of a return to Home Park in the ring, should Rooney’s tenure not go to plan in the coming months.

Speaking on the Not The Top 20 Podcast, Elek said: “He hasn’t overseen a period of relentless defeats that have seen them spiral towards relegation, he basically leaves them in the same position of being an underachieving Championship side that he walked into

“There was a period at the backend of last season where they looked in danger of being relegated, which would have massively hurt his reputation.

“I think Steven Schumacher will even walk into an aspirational League One side, or Plymouth Argyle, if things don’t go well with Rooney.

“I know a lot of their fanbase probably wouldn’t want him back, but a lot of Luton’s fanbase didn’t want Nathan Jones back to start with, and look how that went the second time.

Wayne Rooney earns first Plymouth Argyle win after rocky start to life at Home Park

Argyle picked up their first league victory of the season at the weekend, with Joe Edwards’ 90th minute winner securing a 3-2 victory over Sunderland, as the former Birmingham City boss got his first league win in charge of the Pilgrims.

Rooney’s tenure got off to the worst possible start last month, with the Greens going down 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday on the opening weekend of the Championship campaign, leading to knee jerk reactions about the Pilgrims’ managerial appointment.

With performances improving week by week, the Pilgrims got their first victory over a previously unbeaten Black Cats side at Home Park, with captain Edwards securing the victory in the most dramatic of fashions.

George Elek makes Steven Schumacher, Nathan Jones comparison

Elek’s comparison to Nathan Jones is an interesting one, with Argyle fans having nothing but discontent for a manager who walked out on them when they needed him most last season.

Having overseen a 101-point season to win League One the season before, Schumacher had overseen a promising start for the Pilgrims back in the second tier, only to up sticks for the Potteries before Christmas had come about.

Understandably, there is plenty of bad blood between the fanbase and their previous manager at this moment in time, just as Jones faced when he left Luton for the Potters back in 2019.

Similarly, Jones’ stint with City didn’t work out all that well, and was sacked by November, before being reinstated as Hatters boss six months later.

While they may not have welcomed him back with open arms, the Welshman soon proved his worth as he got Town into the playoffs in the 2021/22 campaign, and laid down the groundwork for the eventual rise of the club into the Premier League.

Of course, he had once again jumped ship for Southampton at that point, leaving the Kenilworth Road regulars up in arms once again.

It remains to be seen what happens with Schumacher, but one thing is for sure, Argyle fans are right behind Rooney right now, and wouldn’t swap him for the world.