Wayne Rooney called 'the worst manager ever' as Plymouth boss suffers nightmare start to new job

Rooney lashed out at critics prior to his first match as Plymouth boss, insisting he relishes the pressure of management.

But his side were well off the pace on Sunday as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat away at Sheffield Wednesday.

Wednesday star Jamal Lowe, who signed from Bournemouth earlier in the summer after loan spells with QPR and Swansea, put his team ahead in the 35th minute.

The striker converted from close range after some good work from Svante Ingelsson.

Lowe was involved in Wednesday's second goal of the game, too.

The forward headed the ball across goal, with the ball unfortunately striking the head of Plymouth star Brendan Galloway and into the net for an own goal, with Josh Windass and Michael Smith then adding gloss to the win late on.

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Rooney was never able to recover from a bad start to life as Birmingham manager.

And fans on social media have now ripped into the Manchester United and Everton icon, with many questioning his managerial credentials after such a catastrophic drubbing.

"Feel sorry for Plymouth they deserve better than a PE teacher in Wayne Rooney in who is worst manager ever he’s worse than Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard," said one user.

A second said: "Rooney might just be one of the worst managers ever..."

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Another fan said: "Rooney got to be up there as one of the worst managers in EFL history, 3 clubs, 3 relegations and a good chance to make that 4 out of 4."

A fourth stated: "Wayne Rooney is the worst manager in the EFL and probably national league. Absolute DROSS."

A fifth opined: "How does Rooney still get a job as a manager, he's awful."

And a sixth said: "Already wondering how long Rooney will be at Plymouth this season. They’ve been awful in this game."

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Rooney insists he's capable of making a big impact at Plymouth.

On this evidence, however, there's plenty of work to do in order for that to happen.

Speaking to the Daily Mail before his opening match, Rooney insisted he was ready to 'think outside the box' as he looks to keep Plymouth in the Championship.

"When you are in football, you get knockbacks along the way in this kind of job," he said.

"But I want to be great in this role. Whatever happens, I don’t want anyone ever to doubt my work-rate or my willingness to go and try things out of the box."

When asked about being under pressure, Rooney made it clear he was unfazed.

"I have had that since I was 16 —getting into Everton’s first team, playing for England, going to Manchester United," he said.

He added: "My job is to take the pressure off players, let them go and play with freedom and try to win games. Pressure for me? It’s not an issue."