Plymouth Argyle: Mike Phelan becomes Wayne Rooney’s assistant at Championship club

Shuttleworth, 45, was appointed as Rooney’s number two in June and had assisted the former England skipper throughout his managerial career, working alongside him at Birmingham City, DC United and Derby County.

Shuttleworth has also worked with the Republic of Ireland as a coach, and was in the dugout when they played England in their Uefa Nations League match 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.”