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Cyrus Christie could be the perfect addition to the Argyle squad for the season ahead

A number of names have been linked with former Hull City man Cyrus Christie of late, with the full-back still a free agent after leaving the MKM Stadium in the summer.

Plymouth Argyle have been one of the sides reported to have an interest in the ex-Fulham man in recent weeks, while the likes of Coventry City and Rangers are also said to be in the mix.

Millwall and Preston North End were also named as potential suitors for the 31-year-old, although the Lilywhites have since moved to distance themselves from a move for the defender.

With summer recruits failing to live up to the billing so far this season, an extra experienced body within the first-team squad could make all the difference for Argyle and Wayne Rooney for the rest of the campaign, with Christie a proven player at the level.

Wayne Rooney needs to make Cyrus Christie move to allay Nathanel Ogbeta, Victor Palsson fears

It may only be early days in their respective Plymouth Argyle careers, but there have already been major doubts over the quality of two of the Greens’ full-back additions over the summer.

Nathanael Ogbeta and Victor Palsson did nothing to endear themselves to the Green Army in their first outing of the season, with the Pilgrims being humiliated in front of the TV cameras in a 4-0 thrashing by Sheffield Wednesday.

Injury is said to have kept Palsson out since that humbling at Hillsborough, although the Icelandic international looked anything but assured in his role at right-during the first 90 minutes of the campaign.

As for Ogbeta, an underwhelming debut has been followed up by a similarly lacklustre display against Watford in the League Cup, where he continued to display a lack of positional sense when defending, which in turn left his defensive teammates constantly exposed.

A brief cameo in the 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers has been his only Championship outing since the curtain-raiser in Yorkshire, with Rooney evidently losing faith in players brought in to the club just months ago.

As a result, Bali Mumba [pictured] and Joe Edwards have been trusted with performing in the full-back positions of late, with the pair having a mixed afternoon in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Sunderland.

While Mumba gave away the penalty for the Black Cats to net the opener, Edwards was on hand to grab a late winner to send the home fans into raptures, and further underlining his importance to the squad.

Cyrus Christie can offer Joe Edwards support in Plymouth Argyle backline

While Edwards continues to excel in his role on the right side of defence, at 33 years of age, he is going to need to be rested from time to time across the campaign, while injuries and suspensions could play their part as the season grows old.

With Palsson, Ogbeta or Matty Sorinola in reserve if the first-choice pairing are unavailable, the drop off in quality is fairly steep when it comes to squad depth within the Argyle ranks; something which could come back to haunt them later in the campaign.

As a result, a move for someone like Christie would make complete sense at this moment in time, with his dependability on the right side of defence likely to be called upon as the winter draws in.

With 27 matches under his belt for Hull last season, the former Derby County man still has what it takes to compete at the top level of the Football League, with his performances helping the Tigers finish just outside the playoff spots in the second tier.

While only 12 of those matches came from the start, his availability as a backup option could prove to be valuable to the Greens, with so few of the current squad having plied the majority of their careers in the top two tiers as Christie has.

As Rangers continue to circle, the Devon outfit will need to act fast if they are to make the defender theirs in the coming days, with the number of interested parties proving just what a talent they could have on their hands.