Wayne Rooney confirms frustrating update involving 4 Plymouth Argyle players | OneFootball

Injuries continue to haunt Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth Argyle fell to their tenth defeat of the season after they were seen off 2-1 by Luke Williams' Swansea City.

Goals from Jay Fulton and Liam Cullen either side of half-time put the Swans 2-0 up and even though Mustapha Bundu hit back in the 79th minute, Argyle fell to another defeat.

This loss leaves them in 23rd place in the league table, with the possibility of dropping to the bottom by the end of the night if Hull City manage to defeat Watford.

This decline has been anticipated for some time, as the Pilgrims' underlying statistics from FotMob paint a bleak picture. Over their 19 games this season, they have managed to create only 16 big chances, with a total expected goals (xG) tally of just 14.1. Defensively, the situation is even more concerning, as they hold the league's highest xG conceded figure at 37.7.

While they have so far managed to slightly outperform these worrying numbers, such discrepancies tend to level out over the course of a season. This will see Rooney have to tackle this issue head-on, otherwise, Argyle are destined for the drop.

To compound these concerns, post-Tuesday night, the Plymouth head coach confirmed we wouldn't be seeing four key players at least until the New Year. With a busy festive period soon arriving, this will come as damning news to supporters, who know full well the results could get worse.

Wayne Rooney confirms injury crisis at Argyle

Speaking to the press after the Swansea defeat, Rooney was posed the question of when we might see Ibrahim Cissoko, Muhamed Tijani, Morgan Whittaker and Joe Edwards again.

To this, he answered: "None of them four will be back before January."

For Rooney and Plymouth fans alike, this will be upsetting as the likes of Whittaker and Cissoko provide the biggest goal threat for the team. Last year, the former managed 19 goals in the league and almost single-handedly kept the Pilgrims in the Championship.

While these two will be missed, the absence of Edwards is possibly most sorely felt, with the Argyle captain one of the very few leaders in the squad. Since his arrival from Walsall, he has made over 200 appearances and is a consistent performer whenever called upon.

A difficult festive period for Plymouth Argyle

Rooney is now under growing pressure from the fan base, with recent performances falling well short of expectations.

As the Christmas period brings a flurry of crucial fixtures, the former Derby County boss must quickly improve his side's fortunes, or he could face a Home Park departure.

Improving their displays has to be the first priority and if they can begin to create more opportunities and shore up defensively, then results may arrive sooner than later.