Wayne Rooney is set to become the new manager at Championship club Plymouth, talkSPORT understands.
The Manchester United and England legend was relieved of his duties as Birmingham manager in January, but has now agreed a surprise comeback in the second tier.
It is believed Rooney will sign a three-year deal to become the new Plymouth boss this weekend.
The Pilgrims narrowly avoided relegation back to League One at the end of last season.
Meanwhile, Birmingham did suffer relegation from the Championship after Rooney’s disastrous stint at St Andrew’s.
Ex-Everton academy boss turned Plymouth director of football Neil Dewnsip knows Rooney well from his time at Goodison Park.
Plymouth have been without a permanent manager since Ian Foster’s departure in April.
Foster left his position as Steven Gerrard‘s Al Ettifaq assistant to join the club in January, but managed just one win in 12 games before he was dismissed.
Dewsnip and first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell took interim charge for the remainder of the campaign following Foster’s exit, and narrowly kept the club in the Championship.
Plymouth previously lost Steven Schumacher – who led them to win League One in the 2022/23 season – to Stoke in December.
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That means Rooney will be the club’s fourth manager and third permanent boss in under a year.
Birmingham, who finished 22nd to slip into League One, had been in the play-offs under now-Blackburn boss John Eustace when Rooney took over in October last year.
But one point from his first five games saw his team fall to 18th in the table, and Rooney only lasted 83 days before being shown the door.
By the time he left, Birmingham were 20th in the league. He won just twice during his time in charge.
Plymouth will be Rooney’s fourth managerial job following spells with Derby, DC United and Birmingham.
Rooney was one of the best players of his generation before hanging up his boots in 2021.
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Having broke through at Everton, he became the world’s most expensive teenager when he joined Manchester United for £27m in 2004.
In the subsequent 13 years at Old Trafford, he established himself as one of the greats and scored 253 goals in 559 games to overtake Sir Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time record goalscorer.
He won every major trophy at United – five Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup, four League Cups, the Europa League and the Club World Cup.
He had a spell back at Everton in 2017 and then headed to the MLS to play for DC United the following year.
He returned to England with Derby in January 2020, and went on to manage Derby in his first spell in the dugout before taking charge of DC United.
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