Wayne Rooney in last chance saloon as Plymouth Argyle job beckons: View | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney's time as a manager has perhaps not gone as he would have wanted since hanging up his boots in 2021.

The former Manchester United striker's managerial career has been short, and far from successful, with his time in England perhaps being a big let-down so far.

In this time as a manager in England, he has managed Derby County and Birmingham City, and neither stint has met the highs some would have expected.

So, with the Englishman now heavily linked to the vacant Plymouth Argyle job, you have to feel this is his final chance of making it in management on home soil.

Wayne Rooney's disappointing managerial spells with Derby County and Birmingham City

So far, as mentioned above, Rooney has been given the reins of both Derby County and Birmingham City, but he has also taken in a spell managing over in the USA.

His time as Rams boss began in 2020, following the sacking of Dutchman Philip Cocu. In his time in charge throughout the 2020-21 season, he guided Derby to safety, taking them from bottom of the table, as high as 18th, before eventually finishing in 21st after an end of season slump.

However, it was his second season that perhaps started to stain his CV - but perhaps not through much fauly of his own.

In the 2021-22 season, Derby were deducted 21 points as a result of multiple financial penalties and multiple star players from seasons prior began to leave, making the task of keeping the Rams up, almost impossible.

Rooney and his team tried their best to fight against relegation, but, rather inevitably, they went down to League One at the end of the season, and from there, the England icon departed.

After this spell, he took charge of D.C. United of the MLS, a team he had played for in the twilight of his career. He had probably hoped that, with no trouble looming around the club, he would begin to make waves in the managerial game. However, the opposite occurred.

In both of his seasons stateside, he would fail to take the Washington D.C-based outfit to the MLS play-offs, and given this fairly large failure, the two parties mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the 2023 season.

He came back to his native shores a few days after that in October 2023, taking charge of a Birmingham City side that had just sacked John Eustace, a manager who had guided them to the lofty heights of sixth place in the early stages of the campaign.

Rooney, however, would not keep them there. Out of the 15 games he was in charge of the Blues, he won only twice and oversaw nine losses, which contributed to a dramatic slide down the table. It was no surprise then that come early January he was sacked, but perhaps a tad harsh given he wasn't given the chance to have a transfer window.

Plymouth Argyle interest in Wayne Rooney is somewhat of a surprise

It is perhaps surprising that Plymouth want to take the risk with Rooney, given the disappointing CV that he has built up over the jobs detailed above.

The Pilgrims' interest in the former England striker was first reported yesterday, with the Devon-based side on the search for a permanent manager following the departure of Ian Foster just before the end of the season.

It is said that the connection between Rooney and Plymouth's current director of football, Neil Dewsnip, is the reason behind the potential move, having struck up a relationship since the latter was at Everton when Rooney was a teenager.

If Rooney were to be hired by Plymouth at this time, it certainly would be beneficial to both the club and manager himself, as a full pre-season and transfer window would help Rooney shape the squad in his vision, and allow him to implement his ideas.

Plymouth Argyle job may be Rooney's last chance in management

With the offer potentially on the table from Plymouth, Rooney would be foolish not to take it, as this could be his last shot at making it as a manager at a decent club.

There won't be too many other clubs looking at bringing the Englishman in either now, or at some point during the season, given that he hasn't exactly had much success since beginning his managerial journey, so the Plymouth job may be his final chance to finally bring some positives to his CV.

If he were to be hired by Plymouth, the main aim would arguably be another season of Championship safety, and potentially a higher finish than 21st that was achieved in 2023-24.

Should that happen, then perhaps Rooney could start to be viewed in a bit of a better light, but the pressure will be on him from the start, and if he fails to handle it, then it is likely that staying in the managerial game will not be possible for him.

Nothing is guaranteed yet, and nobody knows who Rooney will be bringing in to support him, but there will be hopes from many around the country that a legend of the game can finally name for himself as a manager, and that he can finally start to progress.