Argyle suffer Hazard and Pleguezuelo injury blows

Plymouth Argyle will be without goalkeeper Conor Hazard and central defender Julio Pleguezeulo for the opening weeks of the season.

The experienced pair are both suffering from knee injuries, with Spanish defender Pleguezuelo facing surgery.

Argyle had hoped Northern Ireland goalkeeper Hazard, 27, would be fit for the start of the season.

"The initial diagnosis was 12 weeks, we thought we could shave some of that off with the second opinion we got," head coach Tom Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon about his goalkeeper.

"But it's looking more like it'll be that original duration of 12 weeks, so we'll be patient for Conor."

Argyle have signed Luca Ashby-Hammond on a one-year deal as back-up and the former Notts County player will start against Barnsley on Saturday.

"Luca we've been really pleased with. The freak goal in Austria, that has not affected him one bit that we've seen," added Cleverley.

"He's a very good goalkeeper for this level and we're all more than comfortable with him in the sticks."

Meanwhile Argyle could look to dip into the loan market to cover Pleguezuelo's absence.

It comes with new signing Jack MacKenzie struggling with tendonitis in his knee.

"We think Pleggy will have to have a procedure to see what's going on with his knee," added Cleverley.

"That leaves us light in defensive positions, so that's also an area of the pitch that we're looking to strengthen.

"That procedure may be a surgical one."

Pleguezuelo felt the issue in the days after Argyle's final pre-season game last Saturday, when he came on as a substitute.

"It's not normal because he only played 20 minutes. He did more training through the week than he did on Saturday.

"Saturday's caused a flare-up when it's more intensity and things like that, so it's something we need to get to the bottom of and unfortunately that might have to mean the surgeon having a look."