Fresh reaction given to Ryan Hardie situation at Wrexham AFC - Plymouth Argyle deal probably isn't "in Phil Parkinson's plans" | OneFootball

The striker has struggled for minutes against the likes of Kieffer Moore

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It’s fair to say that Ryan Hardie’s move from Plymouth Argyle to Wrexham has not quite worked out so far.

The striker was a key part of the Pilgrims’ side and was never far from the scoresheet, even in the club’s lowest moments, so when they were relegated, and he stayed in the Championship with the promoted Red Dragons, it looked like a move destined to work.

That has not quite been the case, with the forward still awaiting his first league goal for the Welsh club, and having recently dropped out of matchday squads altogether. It has led to some Plymouth fans online calling for the striker back on loan in January.

We asked our Wrexham fan pundit, Liam Grice, whether that’s a move that he could see happening this winter.

Ryan Hardie unlikely to move back to Plymouth

Speaking to Football League World, Liam said: “It's weird what’s happened with Hardie, because to be fair, I did expect him to be playing a more pivotal role than he has played so far for us this season.

“And in the limited opportunities he's had, he’s not really showed his quality.

“Obviously, there was that chance against Southampton, and he's missed a few others like that as well, but he's not really had the chance to showcase what he can do to Phil Parkinson.

“I expect that we're covering ourselves in the striker department. We've always had issues with depth in that position, and now, we don't really have that problem.

“We've got a wealth of quality up front and I expect Parkinson, maybe now with the emergence of how well Kieffer Moore’s started the season – and the likes of [Nathan] Broadhead, he'll want to bring him into the side. [Josh] Windass has become a really important player – he probably sees Hardie as an option off the bench.

“I can see why Plymouth fans want him back, he was a brilliant player for them, but I don't think loaning him out is in Phil Parkinson’s plans, to be honest.”

Hardie has been a consistent striker over the last couple of seasons, notching double figures in the league for Plymouth for the past two seasons, even as they were getting relegated.

But he has just not shown that yet at Wrexham, and his chances to play his way back into form also appear to have vanished.

Parkinson has been operating with just one striker in recent weeks and, based on his form, that man has been Moore, who has five goal contributions in nine second-tier outings.

However, even if the Welshman gets injured, it appears Sam Smith, scorer of seven goals in 18 games in League One last season for the Red Dragons, is ahead of Hardie in the pecking order, given he’s been making the matchday squad in recent times as the former Plymouth man has dropped out.

Parkinson is yet to make any mention of an injury to Hardie, so carrying Smith on the bench, at this stage, appears to be a preference.

Wrexham’s approach to the summer window, on the outside, appeared a little scattergun at times, based on who’s available and potentially who was offered to them.

As things stand, it appears Hardie has been the primary victim of that approach, but it would be far too soon to write him off after a handful of games, and Wrexham are unlikely to do that, so Plymouth fans may need to wait a little longer than January to be reunited with Hardie.