Plymouth Argyle: Mike Phelan brief is clear after Wayne Rooney reunion | OneFootball

The former Red Devils assistant will be looking to help the Greens turn things around in the second-half of the campaign

Plymouth Argyle added Mike Phelan to their backroom staff over the weekend, with the former Manchester United man joining Wayne Rooney at Home Park as assistant boss.

The 62-year-old joins his former Old Trafford colleague at Home Park after the departure of Pete Shuttleworth, who is said to have left the Devon outfit due to personal reasons.

With the Pilgrims finding themselves in a relegation battle after appointing the former Birmingham City boss back in the summer, they will be looking to turn things around in the second-half of the campaign, and sort out a wretched away form which has seen them earn just two points from ten games on the road so far this season.

With plenty of combined success between the pair in their days with the Red Devils, there will be plenty of hope that Phelan can introduce a bit of the Sir Alex Ferguson flair that United teams of old used to have down in Devon, and turn things around before they get too desperate.

Simon Hallett stays true to his word with Mike Phelan decision

With the Greens struggling to pick up points of late, there had been rumours arising of Argyle owner Simon Hallett being tempted to pull the trigger on Rooney before too long, with the run up to Christmas pivotal in his position at the club.

But the Pilgrims chief denied any conjecture were true earlier in the month, and instead focused on what he and his colleagues could do to help the man in the dugout, as he told Plymouth Live: "We are all feeling the pressure - the fans are feeling the pressure, the board is feeling the pressure, and Wayne is feeling the pressure.

“What we are going to do is not think about getting rid of him and changing him. We are thinking about how we can support him.

“So there are no conversations going on about replacing Wayne but there are conversations going on about how we can support him to help him become the great coach that we think is in there."

With the appointment of a man of Phelan’s reputation, that support has been given to Rooney, and the hope will be that before too long the Greens start to see the results of their actions, although a length injury list isn’t helping their cause at this moment in time.

With the likes of Morgan Whittaker, Ibrahim Cissoko, Joe Edwards and Muhamed Tijani all ruled out until the new year, Argyle find themselves very much down to the bare bones as it stands, with investment needed in terms of playing staff in January, which will give Rooney and Phelan the chance to turn things around.

Mike Phelan, Manchester United experience can be the spark for Plymouth Argyle’s season

Phelan has held a role as assistant manager twice at Manchester United, once under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2008 and 2013, before returning to the fold with Ole Gunnar Solskjær in 2018.

In the first of those periods, the Red Devils were regularly competing for and winning Premier League titles, with Rooney on the field and Phelan in the dugout, and that arm round the shoulder from the elder statesman could be exactly what the former needs as he turns his hand to management.

As good as Shuttleworth was as a number two, Phelan is a man who has been there, seen it and done it during his 45 years in football as both a player, coach and manager, and will know how to get the best out of a squad looking to compete in the second tier and hold their own.

Rooney opened up on the appointment to Plymouth Live, telling the club’s official Twitter account: “I know Mike really well, and obviously once we knew what Pete’s situation was then we had to move quite quickly.

“We spoke to Mike quite quickly, was quite swift, in terms of getting him in. So he’s in, he’s been with us from [Monday], and he comes in as my assistant coach.

“I think he brings great experience. Obviously, the roles he’s had in his career [speaks for itself], been a great experience to add to our coaching staff.”

Although he will have been more used to competing at the top end of divisions for much of his career after hanging up his boots, a fresh set of eyes over matters at Home Park will be welcomed by all involved with the club, with sights set on turning around that away form, which will in turn help with their struggles at the bottom of the division.

The eye-catching appointment also bodes well for the upcoming January transfer window - with Hallett staying true to his word about supporting his manager - with the hope being that the club loosen the pursestrings a little to add an extra bit of quality to the squad that has been lacking in the first few months of the season.

Phelan has been part of a dressing room with a winning mentality before, and needs to help Rooney instill that in his new colleagues from the off, and if they can start to grow in self-belief, things could look a lot rosier at Home Park before too long.