Wayne Rooney was today sacked by Plymouth Argyle after 25 matches in charge with the club in freefall and rock bottom of the Championship.

The former England and Manchester United captain, 39, is returning to his wife and children in Cheshire after another disastrous spell in management ended after just seven months.

In a statement he thanked the club for giving him the job in May, declaring that Argyle would always have a 'special place in my heart' and he and the fans would have 'memories that we will share forever'.

But his failure at Plymouth raises questions about whether he will manage again at the top level with broadcasters  queuing up to offer him a top pundit role after temporary stints with the BBC and Sky Sports in the past.

Rooney's sacking came hours after a new video emerged appearing to show him giving a mystery woman a tour of his £5,000-a-month apartment after an evening in a local pub singing karaoke.

Last night he said it was 'simply not true' the female companion entered alone, insisting that a 'couple kindly gave me a lift home' and he then showed them around his penthouse flat close to the city's famous Hoe.

Wayne was appointed to the Plymouth boss in May - his third stint in the English second-tier after failures at Derby County and Birmingham City. He has also managed in the United States following a glittering playing career where he was England's best player of his generation.

Rooney oversaw only 25 matches in all competitions at Argyle, with his side having recorded just five wins. Plymouth lost five of his last six games, including two 4-0 shellackings over the Christmas period.

And off the pitch there were concerns about his lifestyle - including from his wife Coleen, who was said to be worried about how he spent many evenings alone eating fast food, drinking and playing video games. 

He reportedly struggled to adapt to life away from his wife and sons. He had been spotted drinking regularly in Plymouth's pubs and bars, making new friends while enjoying quiz nights and also belting out hits at karaoke events.

One local told MailOnline that he had also been getting 'stuck into the pasties' in Devon. 

Plymouth are currently bottom of the Championship with four wins this season, with the Pilgrims having suffered 13 league defeats.

'Plymouth Argyle can confirm that the club and Head Coach Wayne Rooney have mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect,' a club statement read.

'Departing the club with Rooney will be Assistant Head Coach Mike Phelan and first team coach Simon Ireland. 

'We would like to thank Wayne and his team for all their efforts and wish them well for the future.'

Rooney said: 'I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board of Plymouth Argyle Football Club, in particular Simon Hallett and Neil Dewsnip who I shared great relationships with.

'Thanks also to all the staff who made me feel welcome and who make the club such a special place, the players and fans for their efforts and support during my time as Head Coach and I wish them all the best for the future.

'To the Green Army thanks for making the games at Home Park so special, they are memories that we will share forever.

'I would also like to give a special mention to my coaching staff Kevin Nancekivell, Simon Ireland, Darryl Flahavan and Mike Phelan for their knowledge, dedication, help and support.

'Plymouth Argyle will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will continue to look out for and take interest in their results.'

Rooney's dismissal will serve as a major blow to the former Man United and England captain's managerial ambitions.

His final match in charge proved to be a 2-0 loss against fellow relegation rivals Oxford United on Sunday, a result which extended a run of nine matches without a win.

The 39-year-old had been hoping to bounce back from a disastrous 15 game spell as Birmingham manager last season, where he was ultimately sacked on January 2.

Rooney has taken charge of 178 matches in his managerial career across roles at Derby County, DC United, Birmingham and Plymouth.

He has overseen just 45 wins, while suffering defeat 87 times and drawing 46.

Rooney has been living in an upmarket rented flat in the Devon city since taking over as head coach of the club this summer, as he sought to rebuild his faltering  managerial career. 

While his loft-style apartment is luxurious and comfortable, it is a far cry from Rooney’s £20 million six-bedroom Cheshire mansion which boasts a snooker room, a home cinema, indoor swimming pool, an underground spa, wine cellar, a stable area with space for 14 horses and a football pitch.

Away from the training ground Rooney has regularly been spotted on nights out around the city including belting out Ed Sheeran songs during a karaoke night at the Cider Press bar in August.

But his ‘bachelor lifestyle’ hundreds of miles from home has also reportedly been causing concern to those close to him, including his wife Coleen.

Rooney on Monday hit back at speculation suggesting that he took a mystery woman back to his upmarket flat, insisting it's 'simply not true' she entered alone.

Posting on Instagram, the star said: 'I am aware of a video circulating online. The video shows a man and woman looking around my apartment.

'The couple kindly gave me a lift home and were in there at the same time as my son who was visiting. Footage is from last summer.

'It is annoying that at least one newspaper has chosen to edit the footage to make it appear as though a woman entered the apartment on her own.

'That is simply not true.'

In the clip - viewed more than two million times after being shared on X - Rooney, 39, is wearing a grey tracksuit and baseball cap and can be seen unlocking a door while a woman with strawberry blonde hair waits behind him.

The woman's face cannot be seen in the video, which then cuts to Rooney inside the flat as he stands in front of a large TV next to a bare stone wall.

Coleen, 38, recently spent a month in the I’m A Celeb jungle where she finished second behind Danny Jones of McFly.

While she was away in the Australian jungle their four kids lived with her parents due to Wayne’s work commitments.

One customer in a bar close to Wayne's rented home in the city previously told MailOnline that 'he comes in quite often for a few drinks', adding: ‘He’s definitely put on some weight since he’s been down here, maybe he’s getting stuck into the pasties.’

Isolated from his roots in Merseyside and after making a slow start to the high-pressure job, since arriving in the summer Rooney has been regularly spotted enjoying nights out in the city’s bars and nightclubs including quiz nights and karaoke nights belting out his favourite Ed Sheeran hits including Shape of You.

Video posted on social media shows Rooney urging the crowd to ‘make some f***ing noise, baby’.