Wayne Rooney drops triple Plymouth Argyle update pre-Bristol City, it's mixed news | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle have received a mixed injury update ahead of their clash with Bristol City

Wayne Rooney has provided mixed team news ahead of Plymouth Argyle’s upcoming clash against Bristol City.

The Pilgrims will go into the trip to Ashton Gate off the back of three games in a row without a win, but have received a mixed injury in the build-up to the fixture.

Defeat midweek saw Rooney’s side lose 6-1 at Carrow Road in the latest humiliating result for the club this season.

However, they remain outside of the relegation zone at this stage of the campaign, keeping a gap of two points to the bottom three.

This weekend’s clash with the Robins offers them a chance to open that gap even further if they can get back to winning ways.

Wayne Rooney provides Plymouth injury news

Rooney has confirmed that Morgan Whittaker will be unavailable for selection on Saturday due to injury.

However, he has suggested Lewis Gibson and Ryan Hardie could be back in contention for a place in the team after previously missing the loss to the Canaries.

"We'll see how [Lewis Gibson] is tomorrow, we'll assess him,” said Rooney, via the club’s official X account.

“Morgan Whittaker is not fit, Ryan [Hardie] will be potentially."

Whittaker’s absence will be a big blow for Plymouth given the forward’s importance to the club.

The 23-year-old has been out of the team since the 2-2 draw with Watford last weekend, where he was taken off after 68 minutes.

Gibson has also been out since the draw against the Hornets earlier this month, which was his 12th appearance of the league campaign.

Meanwhile, Hardie last played for the Pilgrims in their 1-1 draw against Derby County before the November international break.

Their returns would be welcomed by Rooney’s side, who will want to put an end to their current winless run.

Plymouth Argyle’s recent form

Plymouth have dropped to 20th in the table with their recent form in the last few weeks.

The Pilgrims lost 6-1 on Tuesday evening to Norwich, having previously earned those draws with Watford and Derby.

Their last victory came over Portsmouth on 5 November, while losing 3-0 away to Leeds United in their other fixture this month.

Rooney’s side have earned just four points from the last 15 available, leaving them with a total of 17 after 17 fixtures.

Plymouth’s trip to face Bristol City at Ashton Gate will get underway at 3pm on Saturday.

Injuries are hurting Plymouth but they’re no excuse for Norwich loss

Injuries have certainly hurt Plymouth this season, and not having Whittaker available this weekend will be a blow.

However, defeats like the one against Norwich cannot be simply excused by the team being without a few key players.

Rooney needs to find better solutions to these problems, otherwise he will be under pressure to keep his job.

Plymouth need a result this weekend to bounce back from the 6-1 hammering, and missing all three of these players still would hurt those chances.

Another away defeat could see them slip into the relegation zone, which is not how a team wants to go into this busy December schedule.