Plymouth Argyle have been left with Ben Waine as their only fit forward after MRI scans confirmed Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu will both face spells on the sidelines due to hamstring injuries.
Hardie and Bundu both suffered grade two hamstring strains during the 3-2 Championship defeat defeat away to Ipswich Town last Saturday.
The injury to Bundu is not considered too serious and the 26-year-old could be out of action for only a couple of weeks, with the third of four international breaks this season coming up after the visit to Leeds United on Saturday, November 11.
Hardie is expected to be out for longer than Bundu, but manager Steven Schumacher has not put a timeframe on when the Scottish striker could be fit again to return to playing.
The injuries to Hardie and Bundu coming at the same time are a major blow for Argyle, who are in 19th position in the Championship, six points clear of the bottom three.
However, it is an opportunity for 22-year-old New Zealand international Waine to come into the side and prove his worth. He will make just his third league start for the club against Middlesbrough at Home Park on Saturday.
Schumacher said: "Ryan and Mustapha have both got grade two hamstring strains, but they are presenting slightly different. Mustapha has got good movement and good power so his doesn't look too serious. He might be a couple of weeks.
"Ryan's is a little bit serious. His seems to be more painful, but as Gaz (head physio Gareth Law) always says he will treat the player and not the scan, and they will be back as soon as possible."
He continued: "It gives us less of a headache, less of a selection problem, because we have only got one centre-forward left. We get on with it.
"You don't want to lose two centre-forwards but we have got Ben Waine who is a centre-forward that we really rate. When he has played he has done well so it's his opportunity and he has got to try to take it if he can.
"Good luck to him, he has probably been waiting for this chance. Mustapha and Ryan have both been playing well. Now it's his turn to step up and hopefully he can play well too."
Hardie is the joint fifth top scorer in the Championship this season with six goals, and he has also come up with three assists, but Argyle must come to terms with being without him for a period of time.
Schumacher said: "You don't want injuries to any of your squad, especially someone who has been influential, so yeah it is a bit of a blow.
"We don't know exactly the timescales. It depends how they heal, how the process goes. We think, the way it's going at the moment, Mustapha is likely to be back before Ryan, but you just never know.
"We don't know Mustapha all that well. We don't know how he heals and recovers because he has only just got here. Ryan, we know is durable. He has had injuries before and come back strong.
"I'm sure they will get the recovery process right. It's one of them, you are not going to go throughout the whole season without any sort of injuries or disruption and setbacks. We have just got to find a way to get through it."
Tyreik Wright and 17-year-old Freddie Issaka are set to be added to the Argyle squad against Middlesbrough as extra attacking options.
Wright has made one Championship start and three substitute appearances this season but has the versatility to play in a number of positions, including up front.
Schumacher said: "Tyreik has missed out on the squad over the last couple of weeks because he was ill before the West Brom game and didn't train, and wasn't available for that.
"Then we have had two good results and he hasn't been in the squad because we have kept the same bench. He will come into the squad (against Middlesbrough) because we are going to need forward options, plus we will probably put Freddie in this weekend. It might give him an opportunity, you just never know, these things happen in footy."
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Thu Nov 02, 2023 10:57 pm
