Wayne Rooney ignores Sir Alex Ferguson’s pre-season methods at Manchester United as Plymouth manager
Wayne Rooney has revealed how he 'flipped' his pre-season schedule at Manchester United for his own players as a manager.
Rooney was appointed as the new Plymouth manager in May and will have been putting his team through their paces ahead of the new season.
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During his playing days, he would've likely faced many tough pre-seasons at United under the legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson before winning his total 12 trophies with the Scotsman at the helm.
However, with Rooney now a manager himself, it appears that he has opted to go against the summer routine that he became so used to.
He made a return to the alongside his former United teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as Ian Wright and Jill Scott.
Scott asked Rooney what he's been like as a manager for pre-season, and he replied: "They weren’t like old school where they’re just running for the sake of it.
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"First day the balls are out. I used to do it differently. [At United] we used to do the football in the morning and then the gym in the afternoon.
"I’d do the gym first in the morning and then do the football in the afternoon. I always think once you’ve done the football, and then you think, 'I've got the gym in the afternoon,' mentally...
"So I flipped it, do the gym stuff first because they’ve got the football to look forward to in the afternoon.”
Rooney also spoke on how he 'hated' pre-season as a player and would return from his summer break overweight.
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He now makes his preparations in the role of manager, with Plymouth the next club set to be led by the United legend.
The Championship side will be the fourth side he has taken charge of during his managerial career so far, which started in 2020 at Derby.
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Rooney then became head coach at his former club DC United in MLS before returning to English football with Birmingham in October.
However, he won just two of his 15 matches in charge and was sacked after less than three months.
After winning three of their five pre-season fixtures, Plymouth's first competitive match with Rooney as boss comes against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the Championship on Sunday, live on talkSPORT.
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They then host Cheltenham in the first round of the Carabao Cup before subsequent league matches against Hull, QPR and Stoke.
Plymouth escaped relegation last season by just a point ahead of Birmingham, with Rooney hoping he can guide them higher up the table in the 2024/25 campaign.
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