Former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has been named Wayne Rooney’s new assistant head coach at Plymouth Argyle.
The 62-year-old, who served as a coach at Old Trafford for nine years across two separate tenures, takes over from Pete Shuttleworth, who has departed the club by mutual agreement.
“Mike is someone I know well having worked with him when I was a player at Manchester United and he has vast experience at the highest level of football,” said Rooney in a statement on Plymouth’s website.
“I am really pleased to bring him to Argyle and look forward to seeing him get to work immediately.”
Mike Phelan’s appointment follows a challenging period for Plymouth Argyle, who have managed just one win in their last nine matches.
The team has conceded 10 goals in their past two outings—a 6-1 defeat at Norwich City and a 4-0 loss at Bristol City.
Their scheduled game against Oxford United on Saturday was postponed due to Storm Darragh, and other results have left the Pilgrims sitting third from bottom in the Championship.
Pete Shuttleworth, 45, whom Phelan replaces, was appointed as Wayne Rooney’s assistant in June.
He had been a long-time collaborator with the former England captain, working alongside him at Birmingham City, DC United, and Derby County.
Shuttleworth also has coaching experience with the Republic of Ireland and was in the dugout for their UEFA Nations League match against England at Wembley last month.
“I am sad to see Pete leave the club,” added Rooney. “He is someone I have worked with very closely throughout my managerial career, having first met at Derby County and he has also been a close friend.
“Pete has some personal matters going on which is where his focus needs to be and we all completely respect that and have mutually decided to part ways.”
Phelan worked with Rooney when he was a player at Manchester United and helped coach the Red Devils to three Premier League titles, a Fifa Club World Cup, two League Cups, and two Champions League finals.
He ended his first spell at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 but returned to support Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2018, staying at the club until 2022.
“We are thrilled to bring in someone of Mike’s calibre so quickly as a replacement,” added Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip.
“He is one of the most experienced coaches around, having worked with some of the best players in the world and obviously has a relationship with Wayne already from their time together at Manchester United.
“We look forward to seeing his work have an immediate impact on the group and hope his experience will provide the perfect support to Wayne as we head into a very busy period of fixtures.”