"Finally" - Miron Muslic confirms big Plymouth Argyle boost | OneFootball

Ryan Hardie is back on the grass for Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth Argyle have been given a big boost with Miron Muslic confirming that Ryan Hardie is back on the training pitch today ahead of Saturday's fixture against Sheffield Wednesday.

This revelation came about in the head coach's pre-match interview this afternoon.

Hardie has been sidelined since the 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers in mid-February, when he was substituted after just 19 minutes due to a problem with one of the discs in his back.

This has seen him miss four matches, including Plymouth's FA Cup tie against Manchester City last weekend. During the three league fixtures in his absence, the team has only picked up two points, and Tuesday evening's defeat to Hull City has left them six points adrift of safety, with 11 games remaining.

This is a timely boost for the Austrian boss, who had been relying heavily on Hardie’s attacking contributions prior to his injury.

Ryan Hardie back in the fold for Plymouth

Speaking to Argyle's in-house media team before the fixture against the Owls, Muslic revealed that Hardie is back in training, but that he wouldn't be available for Saturday's fixture.

"Finally, on the pitch, today. We've missed him so much, the last couple of weeks. I am very optimistic to get him back on the pitch on Wednesday (vs Portsmouth)", said the head coach.

While it will be disappointing that he isn’t available for the home fixture against Sheffield Wednesday, the Portsmouth game is equally crucial. Pompey are currently 17th in the league, having once been in danger of relegation, but their strong home form has since helped them pull clear of the threat.

However, the Pilgrims have already defeated John Mousinho's side once this season and can take heart in the fact that they will arrive at Fratton Park with nothing to lose as they look to claw back those points on their rivals.

Plymouth will need Ryan Hardie firing for the rest of the season

With the Pompey fixture outlined as his return date, Hardie will have 10 games to impact Plymouth's season and try and retain their Championship status.

Prior to his injury, the striker had netted four goals in two games and came up with the winner against Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

He is one of the few clinical finishers in Argyle's side, and when he features in the starting XI, the team simply looks more balanced.

On a personal level, he will be frustrated to have only scored five goals this season, but the final games of the campaign offer him a chance to turn things around.