Wayne Rooney is in line for a potential return to management with Championship club Plymouth Argyle.
Rooney, the former England and Manchester United captain, is understood to have been approached for an interview this week and is a candidate to take charge.
Sacked by Birmingham in January after a run of nine defeats in 15 games, Rooney is keen to make a comeback in the technical area to rebuild his reputation as a manager.
Argyle are searching for a new manager after the dismissal of Ian Foster towards the end of the season and if, as expected, Rooney is appointed, he will have a reunion with Neil Dewsnip, the club’s director of football.
Rooney was at Everton’s academy as a boy when Dewsnip was in charge when he also coached the likes of Ross Barkley, Leon Osman and former Argyle manager Steven Schumacher.
The pursuit of Rooney has been driven in the main by Argyle’s chief executive Andrew Parkinson.
The 38-year-old was recently announced as a pundit for the BBC during this summer’s European Championship, but he has never made a secret of his desire to return to management.
In February, he said: “I definitely want to get back into management. 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.”
Rooney only lasted 83 days at Birmingham City after succeeding the popular John Eustace, with the club firing him on January 2 after a defeat at Leeds.
Birmingham were eventually relegated to League One, with Rooney’s difficult tenure regarded as one of the key reasons behind the drop.
Argyle have already interviewed former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom this week, and Rooney is the latest candidate to be approached.
Argyle finished 21st in the Championship last season, one point above the relegation zone.