PLYMOUTH Argyle striker Ryan Hardie could be available to make his return when the Pilgrims visit St Mary's on Friday, according to interim boss Neil Dewsnip.

The 26 year old suffered a head injury after clashing with Middlesbrough's Daniel Ayala on December 16 and he has been missing from the team since.

Hardie scored Plymouth's only goal of the game when Saints were 2-1 victors at Home Park in the reverse fixture at the beginning of the campaign.

Director of football Dewsnip has been put in temporary charge of the Devon side after former boss Steven Schumacher left the club to join Stoke City this month.

The caretaker boss gave an update on the status of their star forward ahead of the Championship clash.

He said: "Mentally he seems really good. He must have tapped me on the shoulder about six times in the game (on Boxing Day) asking me to put him on!

"So he's raring to go, but the reality is he has got to fulfill all the concussion protocols. If he passes those protocols, he has every chance of being in the squad."

Forward Mustapha Bundu suffered a recent hamstring problem and midfielder Jordan Houghton could also be available for the last game of 2023.

Dewsnip continued: "(Bundu) is still very sore, but getting better day by day. He has an outside chance (of being in the squad against Southampton) but we will need to monitor him.

"Jordan was taken ill on the coach travelling up (to Cardiff), so we turned him around to make sure he didn't infect anybody else.

"With a bit of luck, he will be in the squad again for Southampton."

Defender Dan Scarr is also available for Plymouth after he served a three-match suspension, following his red card against Queens Park Rangers on December 13.