Wayne Rooney ‘had enough at Plymouth’ – insider suggests real reason for exit
Wayne Rooney may have left Plymouth Argyle as he had “had enough” during his time with the club, Curtis Davies has said.
The former Man United and England man was confirmed to have left the Pilgrims on Tuesday (31 December) with his side bottom of the Championship table, four points from safety.
In their statement confirming his departure, the club stated that the 39-year-old had departed by mutual consent in the wake of just one win in their last 14 games.
Davies though, has suggested that the decision to leave Plymouth may have been Rooney’s, given the recent appointment of his former Man United coach Mike Phelan to his backroom team and talks over funds for the January transfer window indicated he may have been set to get a “stay of execution”.
Speaking to Sky Sports about Rooney’s departure Davies – who previously worked with the former England international at Derby County – said:
“It’s a strange one really. I think the fact that Mike Phelan came in recently, I thought it would have meant that Wayne would have had a stay of execution and was looking to maybe build in January towards maybe getting a little bit of money to build the squad and try to push them up the table a little bit.
“But I haven’t heard the full news about it whether or not a parting of ways both sides or whether it’s just Wayne’s had enough, maybe he feels he can’t do enough with the squad is to be seen.
“But it was a very difficult time for Wayne at Plymouth and results ultimately speak for themselves.”
Wayne Rooney exit made sense for all concerned at Plymouth
Football Insider Opinion
You could certainly understand it if Rooney had simply had enough of his time at Home Park and made the decision to step back from the job himself.
The struggles Plymouth endured won’t have been fun for anyone linked with the club and having been so used to success in his playing days, another managerial struggle will have been tough for Rooney.
Add in the criticism he was receiving from the fanbase and there is little reason for him to have wanted to stay, especially given the money he made during his career means he shouldn’t have needed to.
Even so, the support he had been given in the background with the addition of Phelan and discussions over transfer suggests the club were still ready to back him at least beyond this point.
That may indicate that Davies is indeed correct to suggest that the decision to leave Plymouth was of Rooney’s own making.
But given it comes at a time in the campaign where there is still a chance for the club to haul themselves out of trouble, it may still be best for all involved.
In other news, Rangers are lining up a January bid for a Plymouth Argyle player.
For more Plymouth news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.