Wayne Rooney poised to return to dugout as Plymouth manager

Wayne Rooney’s appointment as Plymouth’s head coach is expected to be rubber-stamped in the next 24 hours, with the former England ­captain set to sign a three-year ­contract. Rooney is ­determined to repair his ­managerial reputation after a disastrous spell in charge of Birmingham, who were relegated to League One earlier this month.

The 38-year-old is poised to return in the Championship with Plymouth after holding productive talks with Neil Dewsnip, the club’s ­director of football with whom Rooney had a good ­relationship with from their time at Everton. ­Dewsnip, who ended the season in caretaker charge of the Devon club, coached in Everton’s academy before a teenage Rooney burst into the first team.

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Rooney has been away from the dugout since being sacked by ­Birmingham in January, 83 days into a three-and-half-year contract. He is thought to have rejected offers to manage abroad since leaving St Andrew’s but is excited by the ­prospect of reviving Plymouth, who avoided relegation on the final day of the season at Birmingham’s expense.

Argyle also spoke to the former Sheffield United manager Paul ­Heckingbottom about succeeding the former England Under-20s coach Ian Foster, before Rooney emerged as their preferred candidate. Rooney has also previously managed DC United and Derby, where he worked alongside Pete Shuttleworth, who is expected to join his coaching staff at Plymouth. Plymouth’s long-serving coach Kevin Nancekivell is expected to remain in post.

In February Rooney underlined his desire to return to management. He said: “It was a setback what happened at Birmingham but I’m a fighter and I want to get back into it. You know as a manager [being sacked] is part of the job and you will have setbacks. It’s about how you bounce back. I’ve had some good time to reflect and will make sure I get it right next time.”