Plymouth Argyle have signed free-agent former Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie.

The 25-year-old, who left the Dons this week, has agreed to a three-year contract with the Pilgrims, who were relegated to League One this season.

MacKenzie helped the Dons win the Scottish Cup last week when they beat Celtic on penalties and was called up to the Scotland squad for the first time last year.

He is the third new signing for Argyle this summer after Coventry City striker Jamie Paterson and Exeter City midfielder Caleb Watts agreed to free transfers last week.

“This is a big move for Jack, moving away from his hometown, swapping the northeast of Scotland for the southwest of England, but I’ve been really impressed with his desire to join the project here at Argyle,” Argyle’s head of football operations, David Fox, said.

“We see Jack as a very versatile player. He is able to play in multiple positions, and his adaptability and commitment were something we highlighted very early on in our recruitment of him.”

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“A real” Miron Muslic questioned after sudden Plymouth Argyle news

Plymouth Argyle are once again facing uncertainty at the top, following the sudden departure of head coach Miron Muslic.

The 42-year-old has departed Home Park for Schalke 04, with his sudden exit leaving fans reeling, just weeks after the club took decisive steps to support a League One rebuild under his leadership.

While ultimately unable to prevent the Pilgrims’ relegation, he oversaw a strong finish to the campaign and earned plaudits for a memorable FA Cup win over Liverpool.

His exit is particularly jarring given the recent structural changes made to support him – new backroom appointments, early signings, and statements of intent for the season ahead.

Miron Muslic leaves Plymouth Argyle weeks after League One rebuild begins

In light of Muslic’s sudden departure, Football League World spoke to resident Argyle fan pundit Luke Hodge for his thoughts and whether or not losing the manager was a disappointment so soon after the Pilgrims had bolstered his non-playing staff.

“Thoughts on Muslic leaving to go to Schalke? When the news broke last night from Fabrizio Romano – a real shock, because it came out of nowhere.” Hodge told FLW.

“Got to admit, sort of at the end of the season he never committed totally that he was going to stay at Argyle; however, within the last two weeks we’ve got a new Head of Recruitment in Tom Randall, who was someone Miron Muslic knew well—he’d worked with him at Cercle Brugge—and he put statements out saying how delighted he was to have him on board.

“We also had David Fox come into the club as Head of Football Operations, and we’ve also signed a couple of players within the last week in Caleb Watts from Exeter City and also Jamie Paterson from Coventry.

“And statements again from Muslic saying how delighted he is to have them on board and how they’re returning to training in June and looking forward to next season. We’ve got a preseason in Austria.

“So, all the signs were there to tell the Argyle fans that Miron would be staying, as I said, so to find out he’s off to Schalke was a big shock and a lot of anger on social media regarding that news.

“I don’t think it’s the fact he’s going to Schalke – listen, there are 60,000 people going to watch them most weeks, and they’re a big club, a lot bigger than Argyle. I know they’re struggling a little bit in the 2. Bundesliga, financially struggling, but there are no real worries and qualms about him going to Schalke; it’s just the commitment he gave to Argyle over the last couple of weeks to suddenly up and leave is a little bit frustrating, shall we say.”

In spite of the sudden change, Hodge was optimistic about Argyle’s prospects in a post-Muslic era:

“However, managers will come and go, players will come and go at Argyle, and the bottom line is while we haven’t got any major investment, then we’re always going to be a stepping stone to other clubs for managers and players alike.

“Also, added to that, we are at the other end of the country, miles away from everyone, so it is difficult to attract players and managers down to Argyle as it is, down to Plymouth.

“But you know, we’ll go again; it could be worse. One thing with Miron is that he does have a sort of unique philosophy and style of football – he likes to be quite direct and physical, and although he has made a couple of signings, the majority of this squad now at Argyle are quite capable of playing a number of different ways, so the next manager who comes in doesn’t necessarily have to follow suit of Miron’s style of play. They can decide what they want to do and go from there.”

Argyle’s next chapter post-relegation begins after Muslic’s departure

The manner and timing of Muslic’s departure have understandably prompted frustration among Pilgrims supporters, especially in light of his public commitment to the club’s rebuild.

Yet there is also an awareness of Argyle’s perennial challenge: attracting and retaining talent while operating with limited resources and geographical constraints.

As the club begins the search for its fourth head coach in less than a year, attention will quickly shift to ensuring continuity, consolidating the summer’s groundwork, and finding a manager capable of guiding Argyle back to the Championship at the first attempt.

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