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Wayne Rooney confirmed live on air that he is leaving his BBC punditry role to head back to the UK as he prepares to take on his next challenge in management.
The Manchester United legend made the announcement following Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday evening as BBC’s coverage of the Euro 2024 group stage concluded.
He agreed to take charge of Championship club Plymouth last month, and revealed he will be back on the training ground for pre-season with the team in the coming days.
‘I fly home tomorrow, the lads are back in on the third of July, so I’ll be home and straight down to Plymouth,’ he said.
Plymouth learned their fixtures for the season earlier on Wednesday and Rooney added: ‘The excitement was there today when you see the fixtures.
‘You look through the opening games, your Christmas schedule and stuff so yeah really excited.’
Rooney appears determined to get things right at Plymouth after a disastrous three-month spell at Birmingham City last season.
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He was brought in to replace John Eustace despite the Blues making a positive start to the campaign but proceeded to win just two of his 15 matches at the helm as Birmingham plummeted from sixth to 20th in the Championship.
Rooney, 38, was sacked in January, and Birmingham’s fortunes didn’t improve as they suffered relegation to League One four months later.
After also managing Derby County in the past, Rooney has been given another chance in England’s second tier to prove he can be a success on the touchline.
Plymouth only avoided relegation by a single point last term, and Rooney will hope they won’t be dragged into another battle at the foot of the table in 2024-25.
He is rumoured to be moving with wife Coleen to Salcombe in Devon, a posh seaside town where a pint is £7 and fish and chips are priced at £22.
He now has a few days to settle back into life in England after working for the BBC over in Germany for the past two weeks, before attention turns to pre-season.
Plymouth are set to have friendlies against Orlando Pirates, Cheltenham, Torquay United, Bristol Rovers and MK Dons in the coming weeks ahead of a trip to Sheffield Wednesday on the opening weekend of the Championship on August 11.