Wayne Rooney close to a return to management with Championship Plymouth

Former England captain Wayne Rooney is close to a return to management with Sky Bet Championship side Plymouth, news agency PA understands.

The 38-year-old and the club are understood to have agreed terms and he is expected to sign a three-year deal at the weekend.

Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip knows Rooney from his time as head of the Everton Academy, from which the striker emerged as a teenager.

The former Manchester United star has been out of a job since being sacked as Birmingham manager in January after just 15 games, only two of which ended in victory.

He earlier cut his teeth in management at Derby before heading to DC United in the United States and the MLS.

Plymouth dropped the services of Ian Foster in April, just three months after replacing Steven Schumacher following his departure to Stoke.

The club sat just one place and one point above the relegation zone at the time and that’s exactly where they finished after Dewsnip and first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell guided them to three wins from their last six games, the last of them a 1-1 win -0 on the last day to Hull, who kept them on their toes.