Plymouth Argyle told exactly why they should snub new Huddersfield Town transfer | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle have been warned against trying to re-sign Huddersfield Town midfielder Herbie Kane.

Plymouth Argyle will be expecting to challenge for the top six and the play-off places this season, and they will want to strengthen their squad to enhance their chances of that – but they have been warned against a move to re-sign Herbie Kane.

Tom Cleverley struggled initially after his appointment at Home Park last summer, but the second half of the season saw the Pilgrims majorly improve with a view to challenging this season.

Plymouth have lost star striker Lorent Tolaj this summer and there is reported interest in fellow key forward Bim Pepple, but the squad remains a strong one for the level.

Business is expected to continue up until the close of the summer transfer window in Devon and FLW has recently exclusively revealed that they have an interest in re-signing Huddersfield Town midfielder Kane.

Kane spent the second half of last season on loan at Plymouth and did impress in just eight appearances in League One – but the lack of appearances is the key reason as to why they Plymouth have been told to avoid re-signing the 27-year-old.

Herbie Kane fitness issues should mean Plymouth are wary

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Herbie Kane, who came through the academy at Liverpool before going on to represent Doncaster Rovers, Hull City, Barnsley, Oxford United and then Huddersfield in the EFL, has had injury issues throughout his career.

When fit and playing regularly, Kane is someone of immense quality for League One but, as FLW’s Plymouth Fan Pundit Luke Hodge explains, that level of quality is not necessarily worth the risk given his availability issues.

Luke says: “Personally, I wouldn’t want him back on anything other than a very short, low commitment loan – and even then I would be wary.

“When he is available, though, Kane is a proper all-round League One midfielder and last season showed it.

“He had eight games, a goal and a couple of assists and Cleverley was right, he gave us that calmness in possession that we didn’t really have.

“If he stayed fit, he would be playing above this level – there’s no question about that. Liverpool academy, Championship minutes, 40+ League One games in a season at Barnsley where his body allowed it.

“Talent isn’t really a debate but his fitness record is.

“This isn’t one unlucky knock. In the last 18 months alone, he has had torn knee ligaments, a groin that kept him out from September to late January and then that hamstring injury that ended his Argyle spell after the Bolton game in April.

“He hasn’t featured this season, and you are signing an availability risk that keeps repeating.

“The squad picture has also changed. (Harvey) White also gives us what Kane offered: left-sided quality, set-piece quality, possession. (Bradley) Ibrahim, (Tyreeq) Bakinson and (Caleb) Watts can all also play through the middle – and (Malachi) Boateng is also there once he is back from this latest knee problem.

“Adding another injury-prone body, after just bringing Bakinson in, feels like stacking the same problem, rather than solving it.

“If Huddersfield wanted him off the wage bill, and he was fully fit with a clean scan, then I could live with it as cover.

“A permanent or another until the end of the season deal while he is still rehabbing? ‘Nah’, we have already seen how that movie ends.”

Plymouth have midfield injury issues under Tom Cleverley

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Having spent last season on loan in Qatar at Umm Salal, Michael Baidoo returned to Plymouth over the summer and performed well in pre-season before sustaining an injury that has seen him miss the start of the campaign.

Malachi Boateng has grown into an important figure himself at Home Park but he, too, is now unavailable after sustaining knee ligament damage in their away game at Wycombe Wanderers this month.

White and Ibrahim are now the only out-and-out midfielders of a similar profile to Kane, with Watts and Bakinson capable of playing there, but that surely would not be an ideal situation for Cleverley to manage.

Plymouth will want as strong a squad as possible to sustain their challenge for promotion this season and bringing in depth and quality in the middle of the park will be key before the close of the window.

Kane may well have his injury issues, but he did show at Argyle that, when available, he still has his qualities – and those qualities may well be worth taking a punt on in the final few days of the market.

So far this summer, Plymouth have focused their recruitment elsewhere, aside from the signing of White from Stevenage.

Goalkeepers Murphy Cooper and James Storer have been brought in alongside defenders Alex Mitchell, Wes Harding and Alex Hartridge, as well as striker Will Evans from Mansfield Town.