Head coach Rooney wants his team to be organised and attacking as he outlines his ideas for the Pilgrims

WAYNE Rooney has wasted no time in starting to implement the style of play that he wants to see from his new Plymouth Argyle side so they are fully prepared for the start of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

Rooney is looking for the Pilgrims to be ‘very organised’ but to also combine that with playing ‘good, entertaining football’ and the work on achieving those aims has already begun at the start of pre-season training this week.

The Argyle head coach has been impressed with what he has seen from the players so far, but has made it clear to them he wants to bring in more new recruits, to add to the three who have arrived so far this summer.

Rooney said: “I want to be an attacking coach, that’s something I have always wanted to do, and to play entertaining football. Obviously with control as well, I don’t want it to be an unorganised press.

“I think my teams have always been very organised but we play good, entertaining football, and of course you want to score goals, that’s what everyone wants to see. My style of play is all aimed to do that.

“It’s a lot of work obviously to get that into the players over the next five or six weeks for the first game of the season. That’s what we are working on now, that has already started.

“Pre-season over the years when I was training it went from running on the beach, to the first week you don’t see a ball. Every day the players get the ball out, I think it’s really important they understand how you want to play positionally, and fitness-wise is so important.

“We have to be a fit team, so there is a lot of work ahead for the players over the next five or six weeks, but I have to say they have started really well over the last couple of days, I have been really impressed with them.”

The three signings that Argyle have made this summer are midfielder Darko Gyabi and striker Muhamed Tijani, who have arrived on season-long loans from Leeds United and Czech club Slavia Prague, as well as left wing-back Nathanael Ogebta as a free agent from Swansea City.