Championship club confirm Everton transfer decision as director of football speaks out

Plymouth Argyle have opted to cut short Everton midfielder Lewis Warrington's loan spell.

The midfielder moved to the Championship club at the start of the season after thriving at League One side Fleetwood Town last campaign. However, Warrington struggled for regular minutes at Argyle. In total, the 21-year-old made just four appearances in all competitions.

To compound Warrington's misery, he suffered an ankle injury last month that saw him return to Everton for treatment. As a result, Plymouth and the Toffees mutually decided to bring the Birkenhead-born youngster's time in Devon to a premature end.

Plymouth director of football Neil Dewsnip said: "Lewis unfortunately suffered an injury in training that will rule him out beyond the end of the transfer window and both clubs felt it was right for him to return to Everton and focus on his recovery and then look for further playing time.

"His return, and Kaine's [Kesler-Hayden] recall earlier today to be involved in the Aston Villa first-team squad gives us an opportunity to freshen and strengthen the squad further. The recruitment team have been working tirelessly on identifying targets and these recalls give us an opportunity to work with Ian [Foster] to put his own stamp on the squad.

"We have done that already with the additions of Ashley Phillips and Darko Gyabi, who both made positive impressions at Huddersfield, and we are confident of bringing in new signings very soon."

In response, Warrington posted on X (formerly Twitter): "A good club filled with even better people. Despite not getting the chance to prove myself on the field, I’ve learnt valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout my career. Wishing everyone at the club nothing but success.

"Now time to focus on getting myself right and ending the season strong."