- Wayne Rooney has sought attacking reinforcements for struggling Plymouth
- The move comes after Muhamed Tijani was ruled out until the new year through injury.
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all starting! available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday.
The former Premier League striker has completed his move to Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth on a short-term deal.
The Home Park side have had a difficult start to the season following the arrival of Rooney as head coach this summer and currently sit just one point clear of the relegation places.
Rooney’s side put in a strong performance against promotion-chasing Burnley on Tuesday but ultimately failed to capitalize on their chances and succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor.
The result leaves Plymouth with the second-fewest goals in the Championship and with Muhamed Tijani out until the new year through injury. Rooney rushed to bring in offensive reinforcements.
On Friday, the club announced that former Brentford, Burnley and Watford striker Andre Gray has joined the club on a short-term contract until January.
Wayne Rooney has signed a former Premier League star in a bid to solve Plymouth’s goal gap
Andre Gray has joined the club on a short-term deal after spending last season in Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old Jamaican international has scored almost 200 career goals in all competitions.
Speaking after Gray’s arrival, Rooney said: “Once we knew the severity of Muhamed’s injury, we acted quickly to sign a striker to replace him.
“André is a real quality striker and has played and scored goals at the highest level. He will provide competition in the forward areas as we enter a very busy period of the season, and I am very happy to have him here.”
After first receiving recognition for his goalscoring exploits at then-non-league Luton, Gray would score 16 goals in his first Championship campaign after joining Brentford in 2014.
A £6 million move to Burnley followed, with Gray named the Championship’s top scorer in his first season as Sean Dyche’s side won promotion to the top flight.
After scoring nine Premier League goals for the Clarets, Gray joined Watford for a club-record fee and was a regular starter for the team for four seasons before spending a year in Greece with Aris.
Gray’s arrival comes after Plymouth striker Muhamed Tijani was ruled out until January through injury.
Gray’s most recent club was Saudi Pro League side Al-Riyadh, where he scored seven goals in 27 appearances before being released when his contract expired this summer.
After making multiple appearances for the England C team, Gray switched allegiance to Jamaica in 2021 and has earned 13 caps for the Reggae Boyz.
