Hardie return gives Plymouth 'goal threat' - Muslic
- Published
Plymouth Argyle's battle to avoid relegation lost momentum because of the absence of forward Ryan Hardie, according to boss Miron Muslic.
The Devon side's leading scorer returned as a substitute in Saturday's home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday, having missed their previous three Championship games as well as the FA Cup exit at Manchester City.
"One of the reasons we have struggled over the past games is because Hardie was not involved," Muslic told BBC Radio Devon.
"He is about to return and this will give us the goal threat offensively so we can continue to defend well and have this danger man up front."
Hardie has scored seven goals in all competitions for Plymouth this season, including the winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round, but picked up a back injury against Blackburn last month.
It kept him out of league draws with Luton and Cardiff and a loss at Hull City.
"We have the green light for him and he is selectable - he is not 100% but will give us the threat we need," added Muslic.
"In our competition you have to have moments where you are attacking and creating chances up front, and this momentum switched without Hardie."
Plymouth are bottom of the table and will visit Portsmouth in the Championship on Wednesday.