Wayne Rooney has been spotted for the first time since his appearance in Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at Old Trafford sparked concern among the Red Devils fanbase.
The Plymouth Argyle boss was captured by Sky Sports cameras on Sunday evening as Erik ten Hag’s side slumped to a disappointing defeat. However, his condition just three years after his retirement left supporters concerned.
“He looks really bad,” one account commented. “Hang in there, Wayne,” said another, perhaps ironically. “Rooney looks older than he is,” a third added. “He has to take care of himself.”
Two days later, the 38-year-old is spotted arriving at Turf Moor for his side’s Championship match against Burnley.
Rooney has been in good spirits in recent weeks after steering Argyle to two wins in their last four league games, boosting their chances of survival. Plymouth currently sit 16th in the division after recording an impressive 3-1 win over Luton last time out.
Wayne Rooney arrived at Turf Moor on Tuesday for his Plymouth side’s championship match against Burnley
The 38-year-old had raised concerns about his health after his photo was shared on social media
Rooney admitted in 2022 that he only had one suit that still fit him after Jamie Carragher ribbed him about his performance on Sky’s Monday Night Football.
Carragher noticed Rooney wearing the same suit, shirt and tie combination during his induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame a fortnight before the show.
Rooney replied: ‘You know what? There’s a reason behind that.
‘Obviously I’ve put on a bit of weight in the last year. So it’s actually the only suit that fits me at the moment, I have to get the most out of it.’
Rooney has previously opened up about his battle to avoid piling on the pounds during his trophy-laden playing career, writing in his 2012 book My Decade In The Premier League: ‘I’m like most guys: I gained a few kilos after a holiday.
‘Even if I don’t train for a week, I do two or three.’
Rooney had praised Plymouth’s ‘togetherness’ after a 3-1 Sky Bet Championship victory over Luton at Home Park.
Rami Al Hajj marked his first Argyle start with a goal after eight minutes.
X users urged Rooney to take better care of himself after seeing him at Old Trafford
Rooney has previously opened up about his battle to avoid putting on weight during his career
Substitute Ibrahim Cissoko scored twice in the second half, either side of Victor Moses’ reply for the visitors.
Rooney said: “I’m really happy for the boys. Friday night live on Sky and we had a lot of young lads there, and I’m really happy for them.
“It was a good performance tonight for many reasons, in the first half we controlled the pace of the game.
“Luton tried to put pressure on us and when we played calmly and through the press we caused them problems.
‘In the second half we were a bit sloppy and gave the ball away a little too often, but our back four were excellent.
“I thought the way we handled (Elijah) Adebayo – a very difficult player to play against – was good and Luton are very good at set pieces, and I thought the way we defended against them was brilliant.
‘We showed great character and desire to head the ball… and then the attacking players get all the credit because they score the goals.
‘They were also good goals. Rami, first start and a great finish from him, and then Ibrahim came and scored two, so all in all a good night.
Rooney praised his Plymouth side after their impressive 3-1 win over Luton on Friday
Plymouth put in a stunning performance to win their second league match of the campaign
Rooney praised the display and emphasized that there was ‘real togetherness’ among his team
‘There were a lot of things I was happy about. The conversation I had with the players this week was that the defenders will do a lot of work to keep us in the game and then the attackers will get all the credit, and that’s exactly what happened tonight.
“What you see is a real togetherness, everyone at the club – the staff and the fans – everyone believes in what we are trying to do. There is a very good feeling at the club.’