Rooney finished his playing career, in which he won every major honor with Manchester United and became England’s top scorer, at Derby.

He also scored his last professional goal for the club in a 1-0 win at Norwich City in October 2020 and says the memories he created at the club will stay with him forever.

“Derby County has a huge place in my heart,” he said.

“My last football game was for Derby and they gave me a chance in management and I had a really good time there.

“The fans were great, so it’s a place I really enjoyed working.

“Of course, as long as they play against us I don’t want them to do well, but apart from that, it’s good to see them back in the championship.”

Rooney will face his successor Paul Warne for the first time on Saturday.

Plymouth come into the game having won for the first time in five games after an unconvincing 1-0 victory over bottom side Portsmouth lifted them out of the relegation places.

But Rooney is yet to lead Argyle to an away victory this season – his team’s record of one goal scored and 16 conceded is the worst away from home in the Championship.

A 1-1 draw at QPR in August is the only point they have picked up away from home under his leadership, having suffered heavy losses at the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City.

“It’s very difficult in this league to win away from home,” Rooney told BBC Radio Devon.

“We’ve had some good performances away from home and we’ve come away with nothing, we’ve had some performances where we haven’t deserved anything away from home.

“We hope to be able to achieve this on Saturday and leave with a victory and reach the international break with good feelings.”