Crowd favourite John Rooney has left Barrow and signed for National League club Oldham Athletic.
The 31-year-old midfielder, brother of former Manchester United and England international, Wayne, had his contract cancelled by agreement with Barrow.
He has switched to non-league football on a two-year deal, with the option of a third.
Rooney is an experienced player with over 300 National League appearances to his name, winning promotion with Barrow in 2019/20.
He is new Oldham manager David Unsworth’s first signing for the club and he said: “We’re delighted to add someone of his calibre and quality to the squad, he’s a leader on the pitch, and he’s telling lads what he wants them to do, which is great.
“He ticks the box for the type of player we want to bring in, and he’ll link up our attacking play, which is a top part of his game.”
Rooney started out in the Everton youth set-up, before being released and joining Macclesfield’s youth team.
He made his professional debut for The Silkmen in 2008, before swapping Cheshire for The States, as he had two brief spells with New York Red Bulls and Orlando City.
At 22-years-old he returned to England, spending time with Barnsley and Bury, but he couldn’t nail down a first-team spot.
His big break came with Chester in 2013, and eventually he was hitting double figures for the Seals, before departing for Wrexham in 2016.
Rooney joined Barrow after a season each with Wrexham and Guiseley, helping The Bluebirds finish tenth, before scoring 17 goals as the Cumbrian-based side won the National League title.
The attack-minded midfielder joined Stockport County, having another prolific season with 16 goals to his name, winning back-to-back National League Player of the Season awards in 2019/20 and 2020/21 before returning to Barrow in January.
Barrow Chairman Paul Hornby placed on record his gratitude for Rooney’s efforts in a Barrow shirt across both spells.
He said: “Everybody at Barrow will forever be grateful for what John Rooney did in both spells at the Club.
“He helped us create lifelong memories in the National League winning season, playing a huge part in helping the club achieve the impossible dream.
“We wish John the very best for the future.”
Meanwhile Oldham have announced that coach Tommy Wright has also left the club following the departure of manager John Sheridan. Both were together in those roles at Carlisle United.
The 56-year-old remains a hugely respected figure at Boundary Park for a number of spells with the club, initially as a player, making 140 appearances during two periods in the 1980s.
He later worked as a coach under Lee Johnson and Sheridan, developing a close working relationship with the latter and returning to the club midway through the campaign which ended in relegation.
