Mansfield Town evidence proves Plymouth Argyle need to avoid summer 2025 action | OneFootball

The New Zealand international is struggling to make an impact with the Stags, as his contract at Home Park nears its conclusion

Ben Waine was sent to Mansfield Town in the summer with the hope that the New Zealand international would kick on after returning to the third tier.

The Kiwi struggled for game time with the Pilgrims last season, with just nine of his 32 league appearances in 23/24 coming from the start, with Ryan Hardie often the preferred option up top.

For all of his hard work, endeavour, and good-natured approach to his job, Waine has failed to make the impact many expected when he made the move to English football back in the January of 2023, with the Stags failing to get much out of the forward during the campaign so far.

With a contract that expires this coming summer, the Greens have an option to extend the 23-year-old’s deal by another 12 months if they wish to do so, but with yet another fruitless stint in front of goal, the Home Park side are surely best off avoiding any such action.

Ben Waine faces familiar Plymouth Argyle issue at Mansfield Town

Despite dropping down a level in the summer, Waine has once again found himself unable to force himself into becoming a regular first-team starter at Field Mill, with Nigel Clough putting his faith in others during the campaign to date.

Summer recruits Will Evans and Lee Gregory have been the men trusted with leading the line more often than not, with the Argyle loanee only managing to get selected from the off just twice so far this season, with his last start coming in a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic back in October.

With just 300 minutes of league action to his name, Waine is experiencing a similar situation as to the one he has during his time at Home Park, where he rarely gets a chance to put a run of games together, leaving his potency in front of goal to suffer as a result.

A late goal to settle matters against Crawley Town is all he has to show for his efforts in League One this season, as well as getting his name on the scoresheet in a 4-0 success over Curzon Ashton in the FA Cup.

If things don’t change, Argyle must be considering an alternative destination for Waine for the second-half of the campaign, with a side lower down in the third tier possibly wanting to take a punt on his abilities in front of goal, or even a side in League Two.

Ben Waine’s Plymouth Argyle career looks dead in the water

Whatever Argyle decide to do regarding Waine this season, there must be little chance that they will consider extending the striker’s contract this summer, even if they do have the option of an extra year inserted into his current deal.

Despite the Greens’ ongoing issues in front of goal, the Kiwi hasn’t displayed many of the attributes needed to make a difference in the final third, with his hard work often failing to result in anything meaningful.

With a matter of months remaining on his current deal, Waine is likely playing for another contract elsewhere as we head into 2025, and will be looking to do what he can to make an impact during whatever minutes he gets given during his time with Mansfield.

Have we seen the last of him in a green shirt? Quite possibly, and after the hype surrounding his move from the Southern Hemisphere, he has ultimately failed to deliver during his time as a Pilgrim.