Big summer ahead for Forshaw as he bids to overcome injuury issues

ADAM Forshaw arrived at Plymouth Argyle in January with a Premier League pedigree and it was immediately evident to see his experience and quality when he was out on the pitch.

- CHRIS ERRINGTON

However, the 32-year-old former Leeds United midfielder was unable to string a run of games together for the Pilgrims due to a series of niggling injuries, so his influence on the team was less than it would have been otherwise.

Forshaw ended up making eight starts and five substitute appearances for Argyle after signing in midJanuary. That followed on from playing just nine times for Norwich City in the first half of the season after joining them from Leeds last summer.

In fact, since the start of the 2022/23 season he has featured in just 35 games for Leeds, Norwich and Argyle combined, and fitness issues are one of the reasons behind that relatively low total.

When he did play for Argyle, Forshaw displayed calmness on the ball from his central midfield role and a good awareness of those around him so his passing was effective, but clearly he would have benefitted from playing week in week out, rather than having a few games in the team and then a spell on the sidelines.

There is every reason to believe Forshaw can be an important member of the Argyle team under new head coach Wayne Rooney given the ability he possesses, but the big question is can he stay fit? Forshaw (pictured), who will be 33 in October, is under contract with the Pilgrims until next summer and how he fares during the 2024/25 Championship campaign will not only influence the level of success the team have, it will also likely shape the latter stages of his career.

So you would imagine his big wish will be for a solid pre-season throughout July which will then set him up to be a consistent performer once the Championship action gets under way in August.