Wayne Rooney decision could see departure of two Plymouth Argyle players: View | OneFootball

The pair have barely had any game time in the opening matches of the season, and could be set to leave Home Park

Wayne Rooney has already spoken about his Plymouth Argyle squad being too big, and the early signs show that the Pilgrims boss has already made up his mind as to who is in his plans for the season ahead.

The Greens started life under the former Birmingham City man with a 4-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on the opening weekend of the season, before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Cheltenham Town in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Despite making a number of changes for Wednesday night’s clash with the Robins, there were still a number of notable absentees from the Argyle lineup for both affairs.

Those decisions may have key consequences in the weeks before the transfer window comes to a close, with Saxon Earley and Matty Sorinola two names that could be on their way out of Home Park before August comes to an end – particularly on the back of the manager's recent comments.

Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle squad selection could spell the end for Saxon Earley and Matty Sorinola

Rooney threw five debutants into the mix for the opening day of the season in Hillsborough, with Nathanael Ogbeta and Victor Palsson starting as full-backs, while Muhamed Tijani and Ibrahim Cissoko operated further forward.

Returning Leeds United loanee Darko Gyabi also marked his second coming with a place in the starting eleven, as a number of the old guard had to make do with a spot on the bench.

A number of players failed to make the list of nine substitutes for the trip to Yorkshire, with Sorinola and Earley the ones to miss out from a defensive point of view.

With the new additions taking the roles out wide in the backline, and the likes of Joe Edwards and Bali Mumba waiting in reserve, the Pilgrims currently have a plethora of options at fullback as it stands, and will likely be looking to shed that depth in the coming weeks.

Sorinola went on to make a brief appearance for the final eight minutes of the Cheltenham victory, but with Earley still missing, the arrows seem to be pointing towards the exit door for the pair.

Saxon Earley, Matty Sorinola struggle for game time in Plymouth Argyle careers

Both players are relatively new recruits for Argyle, with Earley moving from Norwich City in the January of 2023, while Sorinola joined as a free agent a year later.

Earley’s story especially has been a tough one of late, with successive ligament injuries seeing him unable to play in a competitive fixture since this time last year.

After returning from the first of his setbacks, a loan to Wycombe Wanderers was agreed in the previous campaign for him to get some game time, only for a repeat of the situation to occur before he got to feature at Adams Park.

The former Stevenage loanee has featured in pre-season for Argyle, but with the latest updates, it looks as if another loan move away could be best for all parties at this moment in time, as the young defender gets back to the rigours of competitive football.

Sorinola’s exclusion from the opening day squad looks like it could be the end of his time at Argyle, with the Greens having a number of options capable of filling the void at right back.

The former Swansea City man has only been around the club for the past seven months, featuring 15 times and netting once, in a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the previous campaign.

While he seems to be a great character off the field, the reality is that Rooney already prefers other options at the club, and as a result, it would be no surprise to see him heading out the exit door before August comes to an end.