Former Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney has been named manager of Plymouth Argyle, the second-tier Championship club announced on Sunday.
Rooney replaces Ian Foster, who was fired in April after only three months on the job. Argyle finished 21st in the Championship, surviving relegation by a single point.
“Throughout the interview process, Wayne showed himself to be a passionate, intelligent, and knowledgeable candidate with an appetite to prove himself and develop his managerial career,” Argyle chairman Simon Hallett said in a statement.
“So much so that he reached out to the board when we started this process and was attracted by the project at hand and showed a real plan on how to lead the football club forward.”
Rooney has formerly managed Birmingham City, Derby County, and Major League Soccer (MLS) team DC United.
“Taking this role at Plymouth Argyle feels like the perfect next step in my career and I would like to thank the chairman and board for the faith they have shown in me,” Rooney said in a statement.
Rooney was named Birmingham manager in October 2023, when the club was sixth in the table, but was fired in January after the club dropped to 20th place.
Prior to his tenure at Birmingham, the 38-year-old resigned as manager of DC United last year after the club missed the MLS Cup playoffs for the fourth straight season.
He previously spent 17 months in command of Derby County, where his team earned 55 points — enough for survival — but were demoted to the third division after points were removed due to financial difficulties.
Rooney scored 253 goals for United during his playing career, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
He also has 53 goals for England’s national team.