WAYNE Rooney has bolstered his coaching staff at Plymouth Argyle by bringing in the experienced Mike Phelan until the end of the season.

The vastly-experienced 62-year-old takes over as assistant head coach at the Pilgrims following the departure at the weekend of Pete Shuttleworth by mutual consent.

Phelan spent nine years at Manchester United across two spells, including a long-standing period working under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, when Rooney himself was a player at Old Trafford.

Since then, Phelan spent time as an assistant manager at Blackpool, Norwich City and Hull City, where he also had a period as manager of the Tigers when they were in the Premier League.

“I’m sad to see Pete leave,” said Rooney. “He is someone I’ve 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.

“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. I am pleased to bring him to Argyle and look forward to seeing him get to work immediately.”

Argyle Director of Football, Neil Dewsnip, added: “I want to thank Pete for all his support and efforts since joining Argyle in the summer.

“We are thrilled to bring in someone of Mike’s calibre so quickly as a replacement. 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.”