Sir Alex Ferguson’s warning for Wayne Rooney spells trouble for career after Plymouth axe

Sir Alex Ferguson's caution for Wayne Rooney has come back to haunt the Manchester United icon after his dismissal Plymouth Argyle reign.

Taking the helm at the Championship club in May last year, Rooney agreed to a three-year spell in the hope of replicating his playing success in management. After stints with Birmingham City and Derby County, intertwined with a venture to DC United in the MLS, he was hoping to finally find some success.

But under Rooney, Plymouth struggled with just four victories out of 23 league matches. The curtains closed on his leadership on New Year's Eve 2024 following a 2-0 loss at Oxford United, leaving Plymouth languishing at the bottom of the table.

Rooney's journey into coaching commenced at Derby where he was player-coach before stepping up as manager, replacing Phillip Cocu. At the time, United's leading scorer received well-wishes and stark advice from Ferguson.

Ferguson warned of football's unforgiving dependence on results during a Sports United Against Dementia event in 2021. Via the Mirror, he said of Rooney: "He's England's top goal scorer, he's Manchester United's top goal scorer and he's had a fantastic career as a player.

"It'll give him a starting point. It's a results industry and you need to get results. He'll know that better than anyone. He's had a good start... and he has knowledge of the game, a presence about him, and I hope he does well.

"It's a big step for him. He's quite a wealthy young man now with his career in football, so he probably doesn't need to go into management to look after his family. But he wants to do it and that's important.

"There's no point being a manager because someone asks you to be. He went there as a player-coach, he then became player-manager