The Plymouth manager Wayne Rooney has drafted in the former Manchester United coach Mike Phelan as he attempts to drag the club out of the Championship relegation zone.

The 62-year-old, who spent nine years coaching at Old Trafford in two spells, the first of them under Sir Alex Ferguson, has been appointed as the assistant head coach following the departure of Pete Shuttleworth.

A statement on the club’s official X account said: “Pete Shuttleworth has departed his role as assistant head coach by mutual consent for personal reasons. Head coach Wayne Rooney has brought in Mike Phelan as his replacement with immediate effect.”

The former Burnley, Norwich, United and West Brom midfielder Phelan spent five years as Ferguson’s No 2 before the Scot’s retirement in 2013, and worked at Norwich and Hull – where he had a brief spell in charge of the first team – before returning to the club in 2018.

He arrives with Argyle sitting in 22nd place in the table with 17 points from their opening 18 games, the most recent of them a 4-0 defeat at Bristol City on November 30.