Wayne Rooney set to seal big new job after Plymouth Argyle exit | OneFootball

The former Argyle boss looks to be heading to our television screens.

Wayne Rooney looks to be heading to our television screens with Match of the Day following his Plymouth Argyle departure.

The 39-year-old has been out of work since vacating his managerial role at Argyle by mutual agreement in December 2024.

Rooney left the Pilgrims rock-bottom of the Championship in what was a fairly disastrous spell at Home Park for the Manchester United and England legend, leaving major question marks over what his next step would be in his career.

However, Rooney has been dabbling in punditry following his retirement as a player in 2021, and it would appear that he may well be set for a major role in this line of work very soon.

Wayne Rooney in talks over pundit role with Match of the Day

According to a report in The Sun, Rooney is eyeing up a big-money move to join the Match of the Day lineup, joining Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates as the historic show enters a new era.

It's stated that the former Plymouth boss' role would be as a rotating guest pundit, with him potentially securing £200,000 over the course of a year depending on how many appearances he makes.

As detailed in the report, an unnamed source states: “Punditry is one of a number of options open to Wayne for the future. He worked alongside Gary and co at the Euros last summer, and was a huge hit with viewers.

“He’s also eminently likeable with a forensic knowledge and love of the game. Match of the Day and a couple of other broadcasters are interested in having him on their programming.

“Wayne and the BBC are in early stage negotiations, but it is looking promising, and he is taking some time to work out exactly what he wants to do next”.

Birmingham City spell compounded with Plymouth Argyle disaster may have put many clubs off appointing Rooney

It's fair to say that Rooney hasn't quite been able to recapture the promise he showed as a manager when he led Derby County through one of the darkest times in the club's history.

His spell in the MLS with DC United didn't bring about major success, but it wasn't a total disaster for Rooney in the slightly over a year he spent stateside.

However, his two latest adventures in English football management haven't gone to plan whatsoever. At Birmingham City he lasted a matter of weeks, having been appointed on 11 October 2023, and was sacked from the St. Andrew's dugout by 2 January 2024.

After spending just 83 days and 15 games in charge with the Blues, Rooney took up his latest role with Plymouth in May 2024, hoping to really show the footballing world what he could really do as a manager.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for him at Home Park, and he was gone after seven months in charge. These consecutive unsuccessful and short tenures won't have done his reputation as a coach much good, and so finding a club that would be willing to hand him another chance may be tough.

Therefore, perhaps taking an extended period of time out of management may be the best course of action for Rooney to take. It would allow him to explore whether his love and passion for management outweighs his desire to establish himself in the punditry world.

If it does, taking the opportunity to step back, digest and learn from his successes and failures away from the spotlight and pressure of being in another manager's job could provide a real opportunity for him to refine what his style and philosophy will be going forward.