Fans claim Wayne Rooney needs to start himself as Man Utd legend puts in stunning display in Plymouth training game
FANS are convinced that Wayne Rooney has still got it after footage of the retired pro in a Plymouth training game emerged online.
The Argyle boss, 38, joined in the session with his players at Home Park, leaving fans asking if could lace up his boots this weekend.
Rooney has got life in charge of the Pilgrims off to a mixed start with one win, one draw and a loss from his first three games in the dugout.
And as he racks his brain on how to earn a result against QPR on Saturday, fans are claiming that the answer could be staring at him in the mirror.
Rooney, who retired from his playing career at Derby in 2021, still looked sharp during the session with his Plymouth players.
The 120-time England international was dropping deep during a small-sided game and pinging balls over the top to the wingers.
The Man Utd legend rolled back the years, showing that his football brain is still as sharp as it was in his prime.
And Plymouth fans took to social media to plead with their new boss to don a green shirt and slot into the side this season.
One wrote: “He needs to play himself at centre-attacking midfield!”
While another added: “Sub himself on at 2-0 down last 10, win 3-2. Rinse and repeat every week. Championship management is easy!”
Wayne Rooney's managerial stats
- Derby County, 2020-2022: P85 W24 D22 L39
- DC United, 2022-2023: P53 W14 D14 L25
- Birmingham, 2023-2024: P15 W2 D4 L9
- Plymouth Argyle, 2024: P3 W1 D1 L1
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A third commented: “New number 10 sorted”.
With a fourth joking: “I don’t know if it’s impressive or embarrassing that our gaffer is better than any midfielder we have.”
And a fifth writing: “Blimey, he made that look easy.”
Rooney will be getting back on the pitch in the coming weeks with the Premier League icon committing to take part in a Man Utd Legends game against Celtic at Old Trafford on September 7.
Rooney’s Plymouth were handed a battering on the opening day of the Championship season, losing 4-0 at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.
But the Pilgrims quickly bounced back with a 3-0 win over League One outfit Cheltenham in the Carabao Cup, followed by a 1-1 draw against Hull City in the league at the weekend.
Rooney was gutted about the thrashing his side received during his first game in charge, but bizarrely revealed that he managed to switch off from all the noise by watching hit TV show First Dates.
Speaking after his Carabao success over Cheltenham last week, he said: “There’s always pressure, that’s part of the game.
“After the game on Sunday I turned my phone off and watched an episode of First Dates.
“It’s important you switch off, you can get away from it, and then I revisited it Monday morning and watched the game back.
“You can have a bad game, it happens. It’s important they are able to switch off because sometimes you can think about it too much and it affects you mentally.
“I understand it, there’s a lot more scrutiny on me, that’s fine, I can deal with it.”