Plymouth Argyle may already be planning Wayne Rooney succession plan: View | OneFootball

The Argyle skipper recently signed a new deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2026

Plymouth Argyle have been a club who have had a long-term vision ever since Simon Hallett took over the club in 2018, with the Greens benefiting massively as a result of his succession planning.

While the appointment of Ian Foster is widely regarded as the one that went drastically wrong, the Pilgrims have struck gold with Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher of late, with the pair overseeing a rise from League Two to the Championship in recent years.

With Wayne Rooney now in charge, the Devon outfit will be hoping the former Manchester United man can be the third Scouse sensation to work wonders at Home Park, with the majority of the Green Army continuing to buy in their new boss’s game plan since his arrival in the summer.

But the latest update from Britain’s Ocean City suggests that yet more planning for the future could already be in place, with one eye already on who the next man in charge could be, whenever a change in management takes place.

Joe Edwards’ new contract is just reward for fantastic Plymouth Argyle displays

Ever since his arrival at the club in 2019, Joe Edwards has worn his heart on his sleeve of the green shirt he adorns, with his displays so often raising the performance levels of his teammates on the pitch.

The Pilgrims captain continues to rise to the biggest occasions, with a number of important strikes helping Argyle get over the line in achieving promotion in the 22/23 campaign, before scoring the goal to help maintain Championship status on the final day of last season.

The right-back’s header secured a 1-0 victory over Hull City to keep the club in the second tier, and sparked a Home Park hoedown as the Green Army celebrated long into the night.

Even in the current campaign, Edwards has continued to set the levels required to compete at Championship level, with his match-winning effort against Sunderland testament to his desire to win at all costs.

There wouldn’t have been a single dissenting voice as the 33-year-old was offered a new deal with the club until the summer of 2026 last week, with the new deal earned due to his catalogue of match-defining contributions in green.

Speaking at the time to the club’s website, Edwards said: “It’s amazing. I love this club. I love playing for this club.

"I’m familiar with the place and with what it feels to be an Argyle player. To get another year to keep doing it is really special for me and my family."

That love is very much a mutual affair, with the Argyle fanbase seeing Edwards as one of their own; a man who completely understands what it means to put on the green shirt and play in front of a packed out Home Park.

Joe Edwards agreement could be start of Wayne Rooney succession plan

No one has embodied the rise of the club in recent seasons quite like their current captain, with his leadership and responsibilities proving just how much he knows it means to the fanbase that come to watch him every week.

That sort of dedication, leadership and ability to relate to the everyday Janner is exactly what Argyle expect from whoever is leading their club, as Hallett outlined after the appointment of Rooney [pictured] earlier this year.

“It's very important that the coach be deeply embedded in the club, shares the ‘One Argyle’ philosophy that we believe has been very much part of the reason for our success on the pitch, as well as off the pitch over the last few years,” Hallett said at the time to the club’s website.

“That unity, a feeling of togetherness, a feeling of cohesion is very much part of what has brought Argyle so much success over the last five years. I think that was something that we thought was important before, but didn't realise how important.”

With Edwards already having a deal in place that will see him join the backroom staff once his time as an Argyle player is up, evidence of Hallett’s forward-thinking has come to the fore once again, with the Pilgrims chief looking to keep the bloodline of success pumping throughout the heart of the club.

Whether their current captain will make a good or manager remains to be seen, but nothing can substitute for that mentality to get the best for the club at all costs, which the former Walsall man has shown he has in absolute droves.