Wayne Rooney secures big new gig after Plymouth Argyle exit | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney has made his first career move since his departure from Plymouth Argyle in December.

Amazon Prime have announced that Wayne Rooney will become part of their team covering the Champions League as he lands his first job since leaving Plymouth Argyle in December.

Despite winning just two of his 15 games in charge of Birmingham City last season, Rooney made a surprise return to Championship management when he took over at Plymouth in May.

The decision certainly raised eyebrows among Pilgrims supporters, and owner Simon Hallett bizarrely claimed that he did not take into account Rooney's poor managerial record when giving him the job, instead pointing to the positive underlying data from his spells at Derby County and DC United.

Rooney's first two months at Home Park went better than many had expected, and Argyle's home form was particularly impressive, with victories over the likes of Sunderland, Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers lifting them into mid-table.

However, Plymouth's form then declined dramatically, and they parted company with Rooney by mutual consent on New Year's Eve after a nine-game winless run that left the club sitting bottom of the table.

Wayne Rooney makes first career move after Plymouth Argyle departure

Appearing on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast last month, Rooney admitted that he would be keen to take another managerial role in the future, but he also revealed that he was open to working on other projects.

"I would like to go back in (to management). It would certainly have to be the right club," Rooney said.

"You always have that ego and that confidence that you can get the best out of a bad situation or a difficult situation. That wasn't the case and it never happened.

"I'm going to enjoy time with my family. I've just been skiing with Coleen. Loved it - still recovering.

"I'm not in a massive rush to go back in. There are different things I'm looking at to try and get involved in as well. Unless something was the absolute right thing to do."

It seems that any plans Rooney had to return to management may be on hold for now as it has been announced that he has joined the Amazon Prime team for their coverage of the Champions League, and he will make his debut on Tuesday night during the game between Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Rooney has done plenty of punditry work in the past, and the 39-year-old's services have been in demand since his exit from Plymouth, with Sky Sports, TNT Sports and Match of the Day all believed to be keen to sign him up, but Amazon Prime have won the battle for now.

After his nightmare spells at Birmingham and Plymouth, it is highly unlikely that Rooney will be offered another Championship job any time soon, so it makes sense for him to have a spell out of management.

Rooney impressed during his appearances as a pundit on Sky Sports last season, and he also won praise for his insight while working for the BBC during Euro 2024 in the summer, and it seems that plenty of media outlets are keen to work with the former England international.

Given that Rooney has made it clear he is determined to succeed in management, it would be no surprise to see him return to the touchline at some point in the not-too-distant future, but he may need to drop down to League One or Two for his next job.