Wayne Rooney has confirmed that Plymouth Argyle midfielder Jordan Houghton missed the club’s 4-0 season-opening defeat against Sheffield Wednesday due to an injury. Houghton reportedly “picked up a knock” during the build-up to the match, making him unavailable for the trip to Hillsborough. The club is currently awaiting the results of a scan to determine the extent of his injury.
In Houghton’s absence, Adam Randell was also limited to a substitute role due to fitness issues encountered during pre-season. Rooney had to rely on Adam Forshaw and Darko Gyabi, a loan signing from Leeds United, as his central midfield duo. However, both Forshaw and Gyabi were also not at full fitness, having had limited action in pre-season because of their own injury problems. As a result, the duo is still working to get up to full speed.
Rooney addressed the situation, saying, “It was a difficult one. Jordan Houghton picked up a knock so he wasn’t available, and Rands probably wasn’t available to play from the start. Forshy and Darko were the only two fit ones really. I would have liked to have got Rands some minutes just to keep topping him up, but once the game got beyond us, I think it was more important for Forshy and Darko to get the 90 minutes in.”
Rooney also commented on Randell’s situation, noting that while Randell is “okay,” they have been monitoring his condition closely throughout pre-season to avoid a more serious setback. As for Houghton, Rooney mentioned that the club is still waiting on the results of his scan, leaving his return date uncertain.
Had Houghton been fit, he would have likely started the game and captained the team. Instead, the captain’s armband was worn by defender Lewis Gibson.
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