Plymouth Argyle cannot allow Ryan Hardie development after big Miron Muslic news | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle mustn't allow Ryan Hardie to leave the club this summer following the departure of Miron Muslic.

Plymouth Argyle must do their best to retain star striker Ryan Hardie this summer, as Championship clubs such as Wrexham are reportedly sniffing around the attacker.

Hardie has become a fan favourite at Home Park, following years of success, helped by his excellent goalscoring abilities. The Scot joined the Pilgrims in League Two and played a key part in their eventual rise to the Championship in 2023.

The 28-year-old has hit double figures in league goals every season since 2021/22, 22 of which have come over the last two seasons in the Championship. Now that Argyle have been relegated, this has naturally seen interest come from second-tier clubs to bring him in this summer.

Newly-promoted Wrexham are the only club with a concrete link to the Argyle striker, and you’d imagine they won’t be the last given Hardie’s reputation for being a reliable source of goals for the Devon-based side in recent years.

However, now Miron Muslic has left the club for FC Schalke 04, Plymouth must do their best to knock back any interest in their star striker. Football League World's recent exclusive revealed the chances of the Greens retaining Hardie are seemingly quite strong, as there are ongoing discussions over a new contract for the ex-Scotland youth international.

Ryan Hardie is a key figure in Plymouth Argyle’s recent rise

Before Hardie arrived in PL2, times were rather bleak for Argyle, who had only managed to return to League One just a few years prior. Despite an excellent seventh-place finish in their first season back in the third tier, the following year saw the Pilgrims relegated back to League Two.

In January 2020, the Greens sat in and around the play-off picture, not a million miles away from the automatic promotion fight. This is when they added a young Scottish striker to their ranks on loan from Blackpool for the rest of the season. Little did both parties know, he would go on to be one of the club’s greatest players of the next decade.

In his first half season, Hardie scored seven times in 13 appearances, helping Plymouth finish third and secure an instant return to League One. He returned to Home Park in the summer, initially on loan, before signing a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee in January, which would prove to be the start of a special story.

The Devon side survived their first season back in League One, and would continue to improve year-on-year, eventually going on to win the division in 2022/23 with 101 points. In his three seasons in the third tier, Plymouth’s number nine went on to score 34 goals, proving to be a key outlet in an Argyle side which kept improving every year.

Now that the former Rangers prospect had proven to be an excellent striker at League One level, it was into uncharted territory for him in the Championship. Despite never playing a minute of second-tier football before Plymouth’s promotion, Steven Schumacher backed his man, and Hardie continued to reward the club that gave him his big break into English football.

Over two seasons in the Championship which were slightly hampered by injuries, the 28-year-old notched up an impressive 22 goals, and proved to be a dependable source of goals, embodying that fighting spirit that the Green Army want to see from their players every time they pull on the shirt. Despite succumbing to relegation, Argyle supporters will no doubt feel good about their promotion chances should Hardie remain at Home Park.

Plymouth mustn’t allow Hardie to follow Miron Muslic out of Home Park

There has been plenty of speculation regarding the future of the former Scotland youth international, following confirmation of Plymouth’s relegation on the final day of the season. Wrexham were reportedly keen to add the striker to their ranks, but any news on this front has since gone quiet, and it has since been exclusively revealed by FLW that Argyle and Hardie are in discussions over a new contract.

Hardie ended the campaign on fire, coming up with some crucial goals that allowed the Pilgrims to lift themselves off the foot of the table and take their survival hopes right down to the wire, although they eventually fell just short after a valiant effort to overcome their poor first half of the season.

The news of Muslic’s untimely departure came as a bitter blow to everyone connected with the club, as it looked like Argyle had finally found a coach who could bring the best out of the squad and galvanise the fanbase after a torrid few months under the stewardship of Wayne Rooney.

Whilst it’s unclear what direction the Plymouth hierarchy will be heading when it comes to their next appointment, you’d imagine that keeping Hardie would likely be a green flag for potential candidates. Every manager wants someone they can rely on for goals, and the Scot certainly ticks that box.

Allowing the fan favourite to depart would also risk further unrest in the fanbase, after the nature of Muslic’s departure left a rather sour taste in everyone’s mouth. Having a popular, long-serving player leave the club in the same summer runs the risk of seriously upsetting supporters and lowering fan sentiment as the club enters a new era under the new boss.

Whilst some tempting offers may come Plymouth’s way, they must consider whether Hardie is worth more to them than any realistic fee a team can pay. Whilst they would be able to put the money towards a new forward, there’s no guarantee they’ll hit the heights the Scotsman has, and the special relationship the player has with the supporters is one the club must try to retain in the wake of Muslic leaving the club.