Plymouth Argyle: Interesting Wayne Rooney, Morgan Whittaker narrative set to play out | OneFootball

The appointment of Wayne Rooney as Plymouth Argyle manager has been one that has got the football world talking, as the former Manchester United man looks to right the wrongs of his previous season in management.

The ex-England international had a miserable time in charge of Birmingham City; winning just two of his 15 matches in charge of the Blues, and contributing to their relegation into League One.

Argyle were the side that stayed up at their expense thanks to a final day victory over Hull City, and ended their eight-week wait to appoint a successor to Ian Foster with the appointment of Rooney last weekend.

As the 38-year-old gets to grips with his new surroundings, there will be at least one familiar face in the dressing room, with Morgan Whittaker on the books of Derby County at the same time as his new boss was starting out in management.

Wayne Rooney, Morgan Whittaker reunited at Plymouth Argyle after Derby County stint

Whittaker was just starting to make a name for himself at County as Rooney initially joined as player-coach in January 2020, with the two playing together during the latter’s debut for the club, in a 2-1 victory over Barnsley.

That occasion would have been massive for Whittaker, who recalls meeting the former Everton man as a child on a momentous day for him and his family.

"It's quite funny actually because it all started when I was a mascot on my eighth birthday against Man United and that's how I got to sign for the club," he told Derbyshire Live.

"It's so surreal to think that I first met him as a mascot at that young age and now I get to train with him and learn off of him every day.

"He's been great with us all - on and off the pitch. He is such an influential voice on the pitch, not just in games but in training."

Having impressed for the Rams’ youth teams, Whittaker was given a spell in the first team throughout the 19/20 campaign, before making 11 more appearances in the following campaign.

During that time, Rooney had moved from being player-coach to first team boss after the departure of Phillip Cocu; and with it came his first taste of senior management.

By then Whittaker had grown tired of failing to get regular game time with the Rams, meaning one of his new boss’s first acts was to sell the forward to Swansea City, for a reported fee of £700,000.

That decision can be looked back on with some questions now - not least because of Whittaker’s blossoming into one of the Championship’s hottest talents - but also Rooney’s record of blooding youngsters in the first-team.

Argyle boss Simon Hallett has recently gone on record to state that one of the main factors in the new managerial decision was the 38-year-old’s fearlessness in playing young stars, although he failed to do that with Whittaker first time around.

County were fielding academy graduates in the shape of Louie Sibley, Jason Knight and Max Bird on a regular basis during that time, and Whittaker would have felt hard done by to be out of the team, hence the move to Wales.

Wayne Rooney faces key Morgan Whittaker decision as Plymouth Argyle boss

With the pair reunited in Devon this summer, Whittaker will need no introduction to the new boss, having been the shining light for the Pilgrims over the course of the past two seasons.

With 16 goal contributions in 25 matches on loan in League One, the left-footed whizz backed that up with 19 goals and eight assists once he made the move to Home Park permanent last summer, in a club-record £1 million deal.

Premier League sides Brentford and Fulham are said to have been interested in tabling a bid for the forward in January, as well as Italian giants Lazio, with the 23-year-old’s stock rising all the time.

Keeping hold of Whittaker will be the key target for Rooney and Argyle this summer, and if that is achieved, it will be interesting to see how the relationship pans out between the two former teammates, given their past at County.

As one of the finest strikers this country has ever produced, the new Argyle boss could help the star boy take his game to the next level if he keeps hold of him past the summer, with the wide man containing all the attributes to make it to the top.

The Morgan Whittaker of today and the Morgan Whittaker of 2021 are two separate beings, with the Argyle man saying earlier this year how his current surroundings are bringing out his best football.

He told Plymouth Live: "I think my head was never going to be turned because of how happy I am here. It's a no brainer for me to stay and kick on.

"I think what I have learned being in football is happiness is everything, and I have finally got that so I don't want to give that up yet."

Whittaker is the main man at Argyle, and he has thrived off that since making the move to Devon permanent, rather than waiting on the sidelines as he did as a teenager at Pride Park.

Rooney will know as much as anyone how to deal with the pressure that comes on your shoulders when you’re the main attacking threat of a team, and will be able to guide the star every step of the way.