Tom Cleverley has been confirmed as the new Plymouth Argyle manager.
Former Watford boss Cleverley beat off competition from candidates including fellow ex-England midfielder Jack Wilshere.
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The 35-year-old has replaced Miron Muslic, who has left the club to join Schalke 04 in Germany.
Muslic replaced Wayne Rooney at the beginning of the year, but was unable to guide them to Championship safety as they finished 23rd.
Cleverley will now be eyeing up guiding Plymouth to an instant return to the second-tier of English football.
In a club statement, chairman Simon Hallett said of Cleverley: “Ever since Miron’s departure, and knowing Tom was available, we identified him straight away as the perfect person to be our next Head Coach and targeted him immediately.
“When we spoke to him he was completely aligned with the vision and ambitions of the club and it was clear throughout that Tom was the right fit for us.
“He is fully invested in our long-term plans and will play a key role in helping us achieve them.
“He is young, passionate and did a great job at Watford. We are thrilled to bring him to Argyle and look forward to seeing the impact he has on the talented squad at his disposal.”
The former Manchester United star was sacked by Watford just days after the end of the season.
They finished 14th in the Championship and won only once in their last nine league fixtures to miss out on the play-off spots.
Plymouth have become just the second club in his managerial career, which started in the Watford academy after retirement.
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Cleverley is also the Pilgrims’ fourth appointment since Steven Schumacher, who won the League One title in 2023, left the club.
Ian Foster replaced him in January 2024, but was sacked three months later following a run of four wins from his 17 matches in charge.
England and United legend Rooney, who was teammates with Cleverley, succeeded him at Home Park, but also faced a tough tenure.
He mutually left on New Year’s Eve with Plymouth sitting bottom of the Championship table.
Muslic enjoyed an impressive start at the club as they beat Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
However, although they won four of their last seven league matches, Plymouth were relegated from the second tier.
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Following their Championship campaign, Muslic ‘expressed his desire’ to speak with Schalke 04.
Plymouth owner Simon Hallett then wrote an open letter to fans to reveal their disappointment with timing and manner of his exit.
Hallett also revealed that Muslic told him he was 100 per cent committed to the club amid speculation of outside interest.