Plymouth Argyle: 19-year-old will love the sound of Wayne Rooney promise: View | OneFootball

Caleb Roberts will be looking to earn regular first-team football next season, and his new boss will be eager to give him a chance

Three weeks after his appointment, Wayne Rooney will have his feet firmly under the table at Plymouth Argyle, as plans for the upcoming season begin to take shape inside Home Park.

The former Manchester United man has been tasked with the job of taking the Pilgrims to the next level, after maintaining their Championship status on the final day of the previous season at the expense of Birmingham City.

Part of the appeal of the new boss to the Argyle chiefs was his willingness to throw players into the mix regardless of their age, and his track record of blooding young players shows he has no fear of utilising academy graduates within the squad.

That will be music to the ears of Caleb Roberts ahead of the upcoming campaign, with the teenage talent ready to compete for a place in the Greens’ starting lineup in the coming months.

Wayne Rooney’s commitment to youth can benefit Plymouth Argyle

Having come up through the ranks at Everton as a youngster himself, Rooney is no stranger to being thrown into the deep end and thriving as a result, with his first Premier League coming when he was still just 16 years of age.

The Argyle boss had made no secret of his willingness to use youth products during his time in Devon, with the likes of Roberts, Issaka and Will Jenkins-Davies likely licking their lips at the words from their new manager last month.

Rooney said: “Obviously I had my playing career, which I loved, but if you want to go into management, you quite quickly have to move on from there.

“I’ve put a lot of work in, a lot of time in to try to develop myself as a coach, try to improve, try to get better, and I want to be a coach who helps players, helps teams, develops players, academy players.

“Academy players are really important as well, to try to improve them, because I was a player who came into the first team at 16. I think a lot of young players are good enough, but maybe don’t get the chance, so I’ve got a real passion for that as well.”

Roberts has already started to prove himself as a player worthy of competing for a regular first-team berth after a spatter of appearances in the previous campaign; most-notably in the 1-1 draw with Leeds United in the FA Cup in January.

That match at Elland Road marked his first start for the club outside of the EFL Trophy, and he made the most of his opportunity with a solid performance in the middle of the park, and looked capable of holding his own at the level.

After signing his first professional deal with the club in October 2022, Argyle wasted no time in signing the teenager down to a longer-term deal at the start of the previous campaign, with a contract that keeps him at the club until the end of the 2025/26 season.

With Championship survival the most-important task for Argyle in the second-half of the previous campaign, Roberts wasn’t afforded any game time in the second tier, but with a fresh start over the summer, the midfielder will be looking to make the most of any opportunity that comes his way.

Caleb Roberts will be looking to Adam Randell and Mike Cooper as inspiration in Plymouth Argyle career

Roberts won’t have to look far to see how seamless the pathway from Argyle’s youth academy to first-team can be, with Adam Randell and Mike Cooper [pictured] first-hand proof of that transition happening.

The pair made 64 Championship appearances between them in the previous campaign, which highlights their importance to the Argyle setup since emerging from the developments squads in their teenage years.

Since making his debut for the club in 2018, Randell has gone on to make over 100 appearances for his boyhood club, and played in all but one of his side’s matches in the previous campaign, with his tenacity and range of passing in the centre of the park providing a spark for Argyle in recent seasons.

Cooper’s influence has been just as big, with the highly-rated shot-stopper playing in over 150 games for the Pilgrims by the age of 24, with many a match-defining moment coming from his ability between the sticks.

For Roberts, it is a time to start to write his own story at Home Park, and with Rooney in charge he will be given the perfect platform to do so this season. If he manages to get some game time under his belt early in the campaign he could earn the right to become a regular in the Argyle midfield next season.

Whether he is up to the task or not remains to be seen, but one thing for certain is that he will be given his chance in the spotlight, and he will have to take it with both hands.