Plymouth Argyle: Sheffield United evidence may change Wayne Rooney’s mind on summer recruit | OneFootball

Rami Al Hajj earned the praise of his boss after his display at Bramall Lane

It says a lot about a football club’s fortunes that there was plenty of positivity about a 2-0 away defeat but the way Plymouth Argyle have been playing on the road of late, the weekend's result at Sheffield United will have given the Green Army hope for the future.

The travelling supporters have been subjected to a number of abject performances away from Home Park during the 24/25 campaign, with Wayne Rooney managing to pick up just two points from 11 games on their travels so far this season.

With just three goals scored in those matches, the Pilgrims have looked a shadow of the side that has given plenty of top sides a run for their money in front of their own fans, but the trip to Yorkshire made it feel like a corner had been turned.

In truth, the Greens may have even felt they should have grabbed a point from the trip to the table-toppers and Rami Al Hajj’s performance particularly caught the eye, with the Swede finally being given the chance to perform in an Argyle shirt once again.

Rami Al Hajj contributes to fighting Plymouth Argyle performance at Sheffield United

It took a fine strike from Gus Hamer and a late penalty for Kieffer Moore to seal the three points for United on Saturday, but in the interim, the Pilgrims were giving it a good go and had some gilt-edged chances to restore parity.

Darko Gyabi was the most culpable of letting the hosts off the hook, as the Leeds United loanee agonisingly put the ball wide after having the goal at his mercy, with former Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper in no man’s land.

According to FootyStats, the visitors won the xG battle against Chris Wilder’s side, with the late spot-kick making up the majority of their 1.06 metric, while the Greens mustered up a return of 1.32 without finding the back of the net.

Having failed to have a shot in anger at Leeds United earlier in the campaign, and numerous other sheepish performances on the road, it must have been relieving for the Green Army to see their side give someone a run for their money away from their own patch; a sight rarely seen since the season got underway.

Through his own punishment-inducing team selections and injury concerns, Rooney has been switching and changing his side of late, but is yet to find the perfect formula, but the reintroduction of Al Hajj into the starting lineup could well be what has been missing in the final third of late, and the Bramall Lane showing may have given the Argyle boss food for thought over the festive period.

Rami Al Hajj will be looking to change Wayne Rooney’s mind

After scoring against Luton Town on his debut, there were high hopes for Al Hajj after he joined from Danish side Odense in the summer, but Rooney wasn’t prepared to risk the creative star so early into his time in English football.

The Argyle boss claimed that the playmaker needed time to adjust to his new surroundings, which led to him not starting a game since the 1-0 victory over Portsmouth in November - incidentally the last time Argyle picked up all three points.

Since then, the 23-year-old has been forced to wait patiently on the sidelines, as his teammates regularly get outplayed and struggle to trouble the opposition goal.

But at Bramall Lane, the Swede had as many shots as anyone on the pitch, and the most touches of any of Argyle’s attacking players with 50, as he proved just how much influence he can have when utilised in the right manner.

The summer recruit has exactly what is needed to knit the team together as an attacking force, and he proved that on Saturday, and after an acclimatising period under his belt, he surely has to be considered a first-team starter from now on.

The likes of Callum Wright and Mustapha Bundu have both tried to fill the hole behind the striker, while Rooney has swapped and changed systems over the past few weeks, with nothing seeming to work, when all along the answer was staring him in the face.

They often say attack is the best form of defence, and in Al Hajj, Argyle have a player that can keep the opposition on their toes, and rather than travelling away and looking to restrain the opposition, Rooney has admitted a change of approach could suit his playmaker.

"I thought he played well considering he hasn't started a game for a long time,” the Argyle boss told Plymouth Live after the defeat at Bramall Lane.

"I think the game plan was clear from us, we wanted to take the ball and if we are playing in that way Rami fits into that system.

"We have gone away in games and tried to dig in and be more of a battling performance, and we have probably got players who have got better attributes from that point of view.

“I think taking the ball, Rami suits that really well, and that comes with the team getting confidence, of course, and getting points on the board."

That bodes well for the future for Argyle, who have so often looked lacklustre away from home, with that form starting to creep into Home Park performances with the recent defeat to Swansea City, but a recall for Al Hajj proves that Rooney is prepared to return to the attacking brand of football that he promised when he joined the club, and the Greens could be all the better for it.