Former Manchester United star, Wayne Rooney, has been sacked by Plymouth Argyle manager after just 25 matches and seven months in charge of the club in the Championship.
The 39-year-old is returning to his wife and children in Cheshire after another disastrous spell in management ended after seven months.
In an official statement released by the club, today, Argyle and Rooney “mutually part ways with immediate effect” and will depart the club with Assistant Head Coach Mike Phelan and first team coach Simon Ireland.
“We would like to thank Wayne and his team for all their efforts and wish them well for the future.
“The club will be making no further comment at this stage with updates on our new first team management staff in due course,” the club statement said.
The departing Rooney said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, in particular Simon Hallett and Neil Dewsnip who I shared great relationships with.
“Thanks also to all the staff who made me feel welcome and who make the club such a special place, the players and fans for their efforts and support during my time as Head Coach and I wish them all the best for the future.
“To the Green Army thanks for making the games at Home Park so special, they are memories that we will share forever.
“I would also like to give a special mention to my coaching staff Kevin Nancekivell, Simon Ireland, Darryl Flahavan and Mike Phelan for their knowledge, dedication, help and support.
“Plymouth Argyle will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will continue to look out for and take interest in their results.”
In a statement, Rooney thanked the club for giving him the job in May, declaring that Argyle would always have a ‘special place in my heart’ and he and the fans would have ‘memories that we will share forever’.
But his failure at Plymouth raises questions about whether he will manage again at the top level with broadcasters queuing up to offer him a top pundit role after temporary stints with the BBC and Sky Sports in the past.
Rooney’s sacking came hours after a new video emerged appearing to show him giving a mystery woman a tour of his £5,000-a-month apartment after an evening in a local pub singing karaoke.
Last night he said it was ‘simply not true’ the female companion entered alone, insisting that a ‘couple kindly gave me a lift home’ and he then showed them around his penthouse flat close to the city’s famous Hoe.
Wayne was appointed to the Plymouth boss in May – his third stint in the English second-tier after failures at Derby County and Birmingham City. He has also managed in the United States following a glittering playing career where he was England’s best player for a generation.
Rooney oversaw only 25 matches in all competitions at Argyle, with his side having recorded just five wins. Plymouth lost five of his last six games, including two 4-0 shellackings over the Christmas period.
And off the pitch, there were concerns about his lifestyle – including from his wife Coleen, who was said to be worried about how he spent many evenings alone eating fast food, drinking and playing video games.
Rooney reportedly struggled to adapt to life away from his wife and sons. He had been spotted drinking regularly in Plymouth’s pubs and bars, making new friends while enjoying quiz nights and also belting out hits at karaoke events.
