Wayne Rooney shared a classy message on social media after Plymouth Argyle upset the odds to dump Brentford out of the FA Cup.
The Manchester United and England legend left his role at Argyle last month after overseeing just four league wins in 23 games. The Championship strugglers have since confirmed former Cercle Brugge boss Miron Muslic as his replacement.
Muslic, 42, has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Pilgrims and had a watching brief on Saturday as interim manager Kevin Nancekivell led the troops to a famous 1-0 win away at Premier League opposition.
Nancekivell has overseen an upturn in performances since stepping in after Rooney‘s dismissal. But Plymouth’s former boss showed there are no hard feelings by lauding Nancekivell on Instagram following the Brentford game.
Rooney shared a picture of Nancekivell celebrating the big win on his Instagram story along with the message: “So happy for this man. Legend,” complete with a big green heart.
Plymouth struggled during the first half of the season during Rooney’s premiership and he was eventually dismissed after the club fell to the bottom of the Championship table. The decision leaves his managerial future in doubt after a brief stint at Birmingham City ended in similar circumstances last January.
Rooney’s departure saw the club cancel a planned documentary to chart his time in Devon. But despite criticism over the appointment, Plymouth chairman Simon Hallett refuted claims that Rooney was only given the job as a publicity stunt.
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“Raising our profile was not one of the considerations in hiring Wayne Rooney,” he wrote in an update shared on the club’s official website last week.
“We thought that he would be able to help us win football matches. During Wayne’s tenure as Head Coach, we saw glimpses of what was possible, but clearly both results and underlying performances were showing few signs of being at the level we need.
“We thank Wayne for what he did achieve in his months at the Club. He united the players, helped restore a positive attitude at the Club and won over the fans whose support had been tested for a few months in 2024. His approachable nature and down to earth personality made him a popular figure and we will miss him.”
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