Mike Phelan has left Plymouth Argyle alongside Wayne Rooney barely three weeks after joining the Championship club.

Phelan, 62, signed a contract to become their assistant head coach until the end of the season on 8 December. The experienced coach replaced Pete Shuttleworth - who departed by mutual consent for personal reasons - but now leaves 23 days later.

Plymouth confirmed on New Year's Eve that they and Rooney had mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect. In the club's statement, their departing head coach said, "I would also like to give a special mention to my coaching staff," naming Phelan, "for their knowledge, dedication, help and support".

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Earlier in the month, Rooney acknowledged, "Mike is someone I know well, having worked with him when I was a player at Manchester United, and he has vast experience at the highest level of football. I am really pleased to bring him to Argyle and look forward to seeing him get to work immediately."

However, following the appointment, Argyle lost four of their five matches, albeit after being beaten 6-1 and 4-0 in their two games before it. The only point they have picked up since was a 3-3 draw at home to Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough in their final outing before Christmas, a match they led three times without winning.

A day before Phelan's arrival, Argyle dropped into the Championship relegation zone. They are now four points adrift of safety at the bottom of the league table.

He returned to coaching at Plymouth two and a half years after leaving Manchester United for the second time, assisting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In his first stint, Phelan replaced Carlos Queiroz as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant in 2008. He went on to win the Premier League three times before departing alongside Ferguson in 2013.