"Very difficult" - Plymouth Argyle: Wayne Rooney's message ahead of Derby County reunion | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has spoken ahead of a return to Derby County with Plymouth Argyle tomorrow afternoon

Plymouth Argyle head coach Wayne Rooney is relishing a return to former club Derby County tomorrow afternoon, although he is under no illusions of the challenges which will accompany his side's trip to Pride Park.

The Pilgrims will be making the long journey up to the East Midlands on Saturday afternoon with fresh wind in their sails after securing a slender, but significant 1-0 victory over relegation rivals Portsmouth in midweek. It was undoubtedly a sizable lift to come away from a match widely-deemed as a six-pointer' with victory, even more so considering the backdrop of Argyle's recent form.

Despite maintaining Home Park's status as something of a fortress, Plymouth have been unable to arrest their miserable form away from home under Rooney this season and have plummeted into the relegation zone after thrashings at both Cardiff City and Leeds United, as well as losing 1-0 away to Burnley and Millwall - all within the space of a month.

Saturday's clash may provide something of a limitus test, then, with Rooney and Plymouth urgently in need of additional points in order to fire away from the drop zone. It'll be a monumental occasion for Rooney too, who will be reuniting with the Rams for the very first time since his departure in June 2022 following their relegation to League One, though he is braced for the challenges which will be presented by his ex-side.

Wayne Rooney previews Plymouth Argyle's trip to Derby County amid reunion

Rooney will be firmly focused upon the task at hand, although he also revealed his excitement towards returning to the club, which presented him with his first opportunities in senior management.

Nonetheless, he is expecting a difficult challenge away at Derby, who have been stronger than many had expected since returning to the Championship while maintaining an imperious home record which has seen them win four and lose just one of their first six matches at Pride Park this season.

"I'm looking forward to going back up to Derby. It’ll be nice to see some old friends and familiar faces, people I've worked with for a while and under very difficult circumstances," Rooney told the media ahead of tomorrow's clash.

"We've got a very difficult team coming up on Saturday in Derby County, and for us we have to go there, and again, I think this game is about the result. Of course we want to play. We want to try to take the ball. Derby are an aggressive team; they're very similar to Portsmouth from that point of view.

"We're expecting them to go man-to-man, which they do quite a lot, so they'll try to make it difficult for us - but we have to find a way to win.

"This league is a difficult league, but they've come up and they've done really well. I'm sure Paul Warne will be delighted with the start they've had.

"I think [you think about returning to a former club] more so as a player. As a player, you're on the pitch. I'm sure Morgan [Whittaker] will get a bit of stick when he goes back on Saturday, but he's been back before a few times and had that stick. As a player, I think it's always something you look for.

"As a manager, you're focusing on just trying to get the win, the same as any other game. It'll be nice to go back and see some familiar faces who I worked through difficult moments with, and the fans - we went through a lot together.

"It'll be nice to see them, but ultimately, I'm going there to try to win the game."

A point at Derby County would be a good result for Plymouth Argyle, Wayne Rooney

Although Plymouth are in a position where they simply need to be winning games, coming away from Pride Park with a point would represent a strong result and perhaps a more realistic expectation, as opposed to leaving with all three.

The Rams boast one of the division's strongest records on home soil and are showing no signs of letting up, so in that sense, it does appear something of a mismatch between themselves and a side with the worst form away from home throughout the Championship, having lost six of their first seven affairs on the road.

Pride Park is invariably a tough place to visit and Rooney will know that all too well, so you can imagine he'd be a happy man if he ends up leaving his former club with a point this weekend.