Plymouth Argyle: Wayne Rooney produces perfect response to Stoke City, Steven Schumacher news - View | OneFootball

The 3-1 win over Luton Town on Friday couldn't have come at a better time for Wayne Rooney at Plymouth Argyle

Wayne Rooney eased the pressure on his position at Plymouth Argyle on Friday night following the emergence of Steven Schumacher on the managerial market with a 3-1 win over Luton Town.

Schumacher was dismissed by Stoke City earlier this month following a mixed start to the new campaign and it’s already been suggested in some parts that a return to Home Park could be on the cards in future.

The 40-year-old oversaw their promotion from League One in 2023, leading them to the third division title on the way.

But he departed last December for Stoke in a bid to try and further his career and the move to the Potters has ultimately just lasted nine months.

Given the start to the campaign Plymouth had made prior to Friday's win and Schumacher’s own record from his time at the club previously, it was a natural next step for people to wonder if a return could come to fruition.

Schumacher return to Plymouth speculation

Speaking on the Not the Top 20 podcast, George Elek suggested that Schumacher will be back working as a coach again soon as the nature of his Stoke exit wasn’t off the back of any bad patch of form.

He even noted that Rooney may be feeling the pressure of his availability, comparing a potential return to Plymouth to Nathan Jones’ second stint at Luton.

“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,” said Elek.

“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.”

But it was a win over Luton on Friday night that has given Rooney some much-needed breathing space.

Rooney must keep things up at Plymouth

The ex-England international was always going to be met with increased scrutiny at the start of his stint at Plymouth due to the disastrous nature of his time at Birmingham City, but two wins from three in their last fixtures have earned him some credit.

With Schumacher now available, this will only bring even more scrutiny to his position, as the Pilgrims hierarchy will surely be wondering in the back of their minds whether he could come back to the club.

The only thing Rooney can do to cut out the noise is to deliver more good results.

Eight points from their first seven games is a solid start, and a good recovery from their opening-day nightmare against Sheffield Wednesday in which they lost 4-0.

If they can keep up that kind of form, then the threat of Schumacher that looms over Rooney should dissipate.