With both Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu limping off with hamstring injuries in Plymouth Argyle’s 3-2 loss against Ipswich Town on Saturday, it could lead to an opportunity emerging for youngster Freddie Issaka to stake his place for regular minutes in Steven Schumacher’s side.
Issaka is a player with tremendous pedigree for someone so young. Born in 2006, the young striker has already made nine appearances for Argyle and he is their youngest ever player; a feat which he achieved after coming on as a substitute against Newport County in the EFL Trophy aged just 15.
Despite breaking into senior football so young, Issaka has also made a fair number of appearances at youth international level. There was already competition for his allegiance at the under-16 level where he was selected in Wales’ squad for the Victory Shield before going on to play twice for an England under-16 side that contained the likes of Harrison Parker (who recently moved from Manchester City to Manchester United for £800,000) and was managed by current Luton Town manager Rob Edwards. The Argyle youth prospect has since gone on to play four times for Wales’ under-17 side, scoring one goal in the process.
If Issaka is capable of playing well at youth international level and is clearly rated highly enough by Steven Schumacher to be entrusted with occasional first-team minutes, this mini-injury crisis could mark the perfect time for him to start establishing himself in the senior squad.
Furthermore, Issaka is a phenomenally talented and versatile player. He is capable of playing effectively anywhere across the frontline which means he could not only get into the team as a striker but also as a winger if Morgan Whittaker was moved into a more central role, potentially as a false nine. He is also a top-class dribbler and is able to glide past opposing defenders easily using bits of skill which would add a further element of directness to Plymouth’s attack.
Issaka is at his most dangerous when he makes runs into the channels and isolates himself against centre-backs who are in a position that they don’t want to be in. He is able to use his pace and trickery to cut inside and rifle shots into the top corner using his goal-scoring prowess. It would offer Schumacher’s attack a different dynamic from what it would get if Ben Waine were to play, as the Kiwi is more of a poacher.
Waine’s struggle for form since his move from the A-League could be another reason why Schumacher opts to give opportunities to Issaka. Waine is fairly young himself, being just 22 years of age, and he has struggled to cement a place in the team and find a goalscoring touch since arriving in England.
Last season, Waine managed just two goals in ten appearances in all competitions and this year he is yet to score a goal in the Championship. He has firmly been Schumacher’s third-choice striker, evidenced by the fact that he has only started one league game, and this has meant he has been unable to get used to the flow and pace of English football since making the move from Wellington Phoenix, where he never scored more than seven league goals in an A-League season.
This struggle for form could lead to Schumacher giving Issaka more chances in the hope that he can find Argyle a confident goal-scorer in the absence of their two main options up front.
But, the upcoming international break means that Issaka may only have two games in which to prove his worth before Hardie and Bundu return. Depending on the severity of their injuries, the duo could be out for a handful of days or as long as three months. The international break means there is a 14-day gap between the game against Leeds on the 11th of November and Sunderland on the 25th of November which gives the experienced attackers extra time to recover from their injury setbacks.
In just two games (against Middlesborough and Leeds), Issaka may not be afforded sufficient opportunities to prove his worth to Steven Schumacher and he could be pushed back down the pecking order at the end of November if Hardie and Bundu are able to return quickly.
Additionally, Plymouth are currently sitting in 19th place in the Championship table and just six points above the relegation zone (Rotherham also have a game in hand on them). This could mean that Schumacher is more averse to playing such a young player who is so inexperienced at senior level as it would be a big risk in games which are so important to the club in their battle for survival in their first season in the second tier.
However, this shortage of players represents as good an opportunity as any to give Issaka some league minutes for the first team. His underlying talent should shine through as long as he is given a long enough opportunity to impress which is why these injuries could lead to the emergence of Freddie Issaka for Plymouth.
Joining in 2023, Aryan specialises in predictions and National League content for The Real EFL.
