Plymouth Argyle: Wayne Rooney can land another Birmingham City blow – View | OneFootball

The Argyle boss will be looking to repel any of the Blues' advances towards defender Dan Scarr this summer

Highlights

It’s safe to say that Wayne Rooney will never be a popular man with Birmingham City fans after last season.

The finger of blame was largely pointed at the former Manchester United man in the wake of the Blues’ relegation to League One last season, after his dismal time at the helm at St Andrew’s.

With just two wins from his 15 matches in charge of the club, the 38-year-old’s appointment turned out to be the kiss of death for the Midlands outfit, who suffered relegation into the third tier for the first time in 30 years.

Plymouth Argyle were one of the clubs that stayed up at City’s expense after their final day victory, and with Rooney now in charge of the Pilgrims after his unveiling as Argyle boss last month, the ex-England international has the chance to rub salt in the wounds of his former side once again this summer.

Wayne Rooney can put and end to Birmingham City hopes of securing Dan Scarr deal

Birmingham have recently expressed an interest in bringing Argyle defender Dan Scarr to the club this summer, according to a report from Football Insider.

The 29-year-old was on the books at St Andrew’s earlier in his career after making the move from non-league outfit Stourbridge, but made just one first-team appearance for the club before moving on to Walsall.

After 18 months with the Saddlers, Argyle moved to make him theirs in the summer of 2021, where he has gone on to become something of a regular at the heart of the Pilgrims’ backline.

With over 100 appearances in green, Scarr was a key part in the Devon side’s 101-point League One campaign in 22/23, which saw them return to the second tier after 13 seasons away.

The centre-back managed 31 games for the side after stepping up a division, although he soon fell out of favour once new boss Ian Foster took the helm in January, following the departure of Steven Schumacher to Stoke City.

Despite finding game time hard to come by under the former England youth boss, Scarr bided his time and earned himself a recall to the side once the management duo of Neil Dewsnip and Kevin Nancekivell took the reins for the final six games of the season.

Normal service was then resumed for the domineering defender, as he helped his side keep three clean sheets and pick up enough points to maintain their place in the Championship, while his boyhood Birmingham side slipped into the third tier.

Dan Scarr contract information amid Birmingham City transfer links

Having signed a new two-year deal with the club after achieving promotion to the Championship, Scarr is about to enter the final year of his contract at Home Park, although there won’t be many of a green persuasion wanting him to depart Devon anytime soon.

The defender has earned himself a reputation as a fan-favourite thanks to his heart-on-sleeve displays during his time on the south coast, with his willingness to put his body on the line when it matters most endearing him to the Home Park faithful.

Despite only being in the job a matter of weeks, Rooney should be doing everything he can to convince the former Wycombe Wanderers loanee that he still has a part to play in the Argyle defensive unit next season, with his influence on the backline plain for all to see after his heroics last season.

No Argyle player made more clearances than his 5.30 per 90 minutes in the Championship last season, which highlights his ability to sniff out any danger at the earliest opportunity, while his 68.6% aerial duel success rate is the most of any regular outfield player the Devonians currently possess.

The underlying numbers prove Scarr’s reliability in the backline, and Rooney can help to have the last laugh over his former side by convincing the defender to stay put this summer, and focus on another season of Championship football.