Wayne Rooney: Everton return among five potential next moves for Man Utd icon after Plymouth exit

With Wayne Rooney leaving Plymouth Argyle by ‘mutual agreement’ following a dire run of form, here are five potential next moves for the Man Utd legend…

Wayne Rooney benefited from having Plymouth Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip as a pal as he secured another Championship manager’s job after last season’s disaster at Birmingham City. 

The Man Utd icon was somewhat fortunate, though he did deserve credit for taking on the toughest job in the Championship as Plymouth would have been favourites for relegation with or without their celebrity in the dug-out.

The Pilgrims narrowly avoided relegation last season and Rooney’s appointment would have been deemed a big success if he managed to get them over the line again.

‘Rooney time’ became A Thing as his Plymouth side have salvaged draws and victories at the death this season, but he headed into 2025 as a free agent after leaving the Championship side by ‘mutual agreement’ (which is just another term for sack, really) on New Year’s Eve.

This has been a long time coming as it was revealed at the start of December that he was ‘fighting to save his job’ and he departed after helping the Pilgrims to just four Championship wins (none away from home) in 23 games this season.

A 2-0 defeat to fellow relegation candidates Oxford United was the final straw as Rooney departs with Plymouth bottom of the Championship and four points adrift of safety.

READ: 13 football legends who became terrible managers: Rooney, Maradona, Gerrard…

He is not without his faults as a manager, but he’ll be able to land another role – if he fancies it – because his job with the Championship strugglers has been a far cry from that Birmingham shambles as he’d have pulled up huge trees if he guided Plymouth’s limited squad to survival.

Rooney displayed his overwhelming willingness to strive in football management when he accepted the risky Plymouth job and this stint may not put him off from having another crack. So here are five potential next options for the 39-year-old…

Wrexham
A step down in level – which was probably needed post-Birmingham – may be in Rooney’s immediate future after departing Plymouth. If so, there is perhaps no better fit for Rooney in League One than Wrexham.

Rooney’s past affiliation with the MLS makes him a recognisable figure in the ‘soccer’ world to appeal to Wrexham’s Hollywood owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Second-placed Wrexham are on the charge for a third consecutive promotion, but it does still feel like long-serving manager Phil Parkinson is at risk of losing his job within the next year. 

Parkinson’s managerial success has come in League One and League Two. Few managers are better equipped than the 57-year-old in this strata of the English footballing pyramid, but his pragmatic style of play doesn’t quite suit the glamour of the Welsh club; they will surely look to move into their next phase with a younger coach and an exciting possession-based approach.

There are many better candidates out there than Rooney at this stage, but the prospect of having a head coach who is instantly recognisable for their far-reaching audience could be too tempting for Reynolds and McElhenney to ignore.

READ: Wayne Rooney is a celebrity; he doesn’t need this Plymouth hell

Salford City
If all else fails, Rooney could lean on his Class of ’92 pals to get him back on the managerial ladder…

Salford City are threatening to overcome their stagnation in their sixth straight season in the fourth tier as their great form leaves them on the brink of the play-off places after swiftly going through four managers at this level and being upstaged by Wrexham.

After last season’s relegation scrap, Salford have moved into the promotion picture under Karl Robinson after a sluggish start, but he’ll soon be under pressure if there’s another dip as Gary Neville and co. have ambitions beyond League Two.

The Class of ’92 will be aware of the risk that comes with appointing a manager like Rooney, but they have failed in almost every other way and the prospect of Rooney cropping up at Salford feels the most likely of the mooted moves on this list.

Celtic
“Celtic have always been a team I have followed and always wanted them to win. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the opportunity [to play for Celtic], I would have liked to at some point to try and play for Celtic.”

Rooney has quite a soft spot for Celtic and the idea of him managing the Scottish giants at some point is not out of the realms of possibility.

Admittedly, his stock has not been boosted enough at Plymouth to warrant being given the Celtic hot sea, but the calibre of CV required for a manager to land the Celtic job is not what it once was and the fact that his name is ‘Wayne Rooney’ will stand him in good stead.

Alternatively, a move to copy the past steps trodden by Sir Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen is another possibility as their surprising push for the title has ended prematurely following a poor run of results under manager Jimmy Thelin.

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Everton
Ahead of their stadium move and potential takeover, Everton’s sole aim for the 2024/25 campaign is to secure Premier League survival.

Dyche has previously proved he’s capable of getting struggling teams over the safety line, but he’s under immense pressure as their dire form leaves them just a point clear of the relegation zone.

A comeback for Rooney to his boyhood club as the manager feels a long way away, but he could give the assistant manager gig a try if David Moyes completes his ‘sensational return’ to Everton.

READ: Another relentlessly grim Everton season might be about to get even worse

Punditry (knocking the managerial game on the head)
Rooney has nothing left to prove in football and certainly does not need the headache of management.

This is why he deserves immense credit for insisting on pursuing a career in management, especially considering he’s gone about it the hard way with the testing jobs he’s taken.

Rooney is yet to show that he is good at this management game and no one could fault him if he decides enough is enough partway through his journey.

This potential move is even more compelling when you consider how well he came across while working as a pundit post-Birmingham.

While punditry is rightly considered an easier move than management for retired footballers, it is still an incredibly difficult art to master and one that’s equally capable of making a fella look foolish.

From what we’ve seen so far from Rooney, he has more potential as a pundit than as a manager as his straight-talking and at times bullish takes were incredibly refreshing and he wouldn’t be out of place as the face of various broadcasters.

It could be that or a job in League One, so you’d think it would be a no-brainer for Rooney.