Ryan Hardie 2.0: Tom Cleverley hopes to have struck Plymouth Argyle transfer gold | OneFootball

Tom Cleverley will be hoping that he's unearthed Ryan Hardie 2.0 in Lorent Tolaj.

Plymouth Argyle spent most of the summer chasing shadows in their quest to replace Ryan Hardie, until they landed Lorent Tolaj from Port Vale, who could be the second coming of the Scot.

The Pilgrims lost their star striker early in the summer transfer window, as newly-promoted Wrexham AFC swooped in to keep the Scotsman in the Championship.

Hardie will go down as one of Argyle's best signings in recent years, as the Devon-based club took advantage of his lack of playing time at Blackpool, as he joined at the right time to grow alongside the club, which would be proven over the years.

When the 28-year-old left after five years in the summer, it was obvious that the hole he'd left in the squad wouldn't be easily filled. This saw Plymouth's recruitment team take their time, as they wanted to ensure they were bringing in the right replacement.

Now they've added Tolaj to their ranks as the direct replacement for the departed Hardie, Tom Cleverley will be hopeful that the 23-year-old can follow a similar trajectory to his predecessor, after impressing in his first few fixtures.

The similarities between Lorent Tolaj and Ryan Hardie

The story of Hardie's rise at Plymouth is one every player dreams of when they put pen to paper at a new club, having endured a tough stint with their previous employers.

Having initially signed for the Pilgrims at the young age of 22, the former Rangers man quickly became a key player at Home Park, and eventually made the switch permanent having fallen out of favour at Blackpool.

Then, as they say, the rest is history. Hardie went on to become a goalscoring machine for the Greens, and quickly became a beloved member of the Argyle family, before eventually moving on to continue his career at Championship level.

New striker Tolaj also has somewhat of a similar path to the former Plymouth number nine, having struggled in the early stages of his career, before making a name for himself at Aldershot Town and Port Vale.

Whilst the Swiss striker certainly arrives off the back of a much better season than Hardie had before he signed, the striking similarity between the two is the age at which both players signed for the club, with them both being in their early twenties.

Both also bolster very similar styles of play, with Hardie's reputation as a tenacious workhorse with an eye for goal seemingly similar to Tolaj, who may have something else in his locker that the Scotsman doesn't based on recent evidence.

Tom Cleverley will hope Lorent Tolaj can become better than Ryan Hardie

It's been a summer of highs and lows for new Plymouth head coach Cleverley, who had to endure the pain of missing out on his main striking targets, before finally landing Tolaj, after paying up his £1.2m release clause.

The Swiss forward bagged his first two goals in Green on Tuesday night in the EFL Trophy against Cheltenham Town, and then dazzled with a stunning goal against Stockport County which was immaculately crafted by playing to his skillset.

Hardie was adored by the Green Army thanks to his eye for goal, excellent work rate, and marauding runs in behind, but it seems his replacement brings a whole new dimension to the Argyle attack, thanks to his physical attributes.

Tolaj is what is best described as an all-round forward, boasting a great set of attributes that includes strong pace, strength, bravery, finishing, and the ability to link-up play very nicely, which is something that his predecessor wasn't well known for.

When comparing the two, you can see where Tolaj excels over Hardie, which is in the combative department. So far, the former has won 47.3% of ground duels, and 46.3% of aerial duels, which ranks him among the best strikers in League One in these areas.

In comparison, Hardie's numbers in these areas were far inferior, as he won just 23.8% of ground duels and 20.9% of aerial duels last season, which had him ranked towards the bottom end of the Championship last season.

The ability to play directly into Tolaj brings a new option to the Plymouth attack, as was demonstrated on Saturday with his incredible solo effort from a long goal kick, which isn't something that Hardie may not have in his locker.