Russell Martin has said he is ‘really pleased’ Morgan Whittaker has found a home at Plymouth Argyle under the management of Steven Schumacher.

Martin was the Swansea City boss when Whittaker was loaned to the Pilgrims at the start of last season and had huge success over the next five months.

Whittaker was then recalled by Swansea at the start of January, more so to possibly be sold rather than because Martin saw him fitting into his first team plans.

Read More: What Steven Schumacher wants to see from Argyle against Southampton

The 22-year-old made just two starts over the rest of the campaign, and since then Martin has been appointed as the manager of Southampton and Whittaker has returned to Argyle in a joint club record £1 million transfer.

Martin and Whittaker will be in opposition tomorrow when Argyle host Southampton in a Sky-televised Championship clash at a sold-out Home Park.

The Saints’ boss had nothing but good to say about Whittaker at his pre-match Press conference this morning.

Argyle have been lining up in the Championship this season with Whittaker, Ryan Hardie and Bali Mumba as an attacking trio in a 4-3-3 formation, and Martin respects their capabilities.

Martin said: “I played with Ryan Hardie at Rangers so I know what he possesses. He was very young at that point, I was very old! He’s good, great movement.

“Morgan is capable of really good moments, having worked with him obviously, he has found a home there. Football sometimes is so much about timing and opportunity and fits.

“He really fits into what Steven wants, and he feels really at home there. And then Bali has done really well there. He’s playing a bit of a different role than he has done previously and he looks like he’s thriving in it.

“It will be an interesting challenge for us. Our job is to limit their opportunities and prevent the supply to them, and to try and dominate as much of the game as we possibly can.

“But we are under no illusion, it will be a tough game. I’m really confident if the lads keep up their levels we can go there and put in a good performance.”

On the decision to loan out Whittaker to Argyle last season, Martin said: “You weigh everything up at the time and what Steven demands from him is very different to what I would have at Swansea.

“It’s never personal, I really like Morgan, a really good kid, a really nice young man, and has lots of talent. He just wasn’t what we required at the time and he has gone out and found a really good fit for him.

“I’m really pleased for him. I would like nothing more than to see him go on and be really successful. I mean that. In football, I don’t think there is a lot of right or wrong decisions.

“It’s all about timing and opportunity and how you fit. Players will look very different in our team, as they would in Plymouth’s team, as they would in someone else’s team because of the fit and what they naturally possess.”

Martin added: “He has done really well last season and he got his wish. He should have stayed there. He should have stayed there and finished the season, he didn’t, so he has got his wish of going back there and I’m pleased for him.”

The 37-year-old Southampton boss is already at his third club as a manager, after stints at MK Dons and Swansea, and both he and Schumacher, 39, have earned lots of deserved credit for the way they have taken to their roles.

Schumacher stepped up from assistant boss to manager at Argyle after Ryan Lowe left for Preston North End in December 2022.

Martin said: “He was obviously a big part of what Ryan did. It’s never like just the manager, I think people make that mistake all the time. It is we, it’s not I, but obviously you are the man responsible for it at the end of the day.

“Steven has carried on so much of the work they were doing and inputting his own stuff. Also, he moved down there, he moved his family down there, he bought into it and I think people feel that when you do that you are all in.

“So he has been able to carry on the good work they have done, and he’s a good person. I think the players have a lot of respect for him.

“And I think the biggest thing is he probably hasn’t changed. A lot of people make the mistake when they step into the manager’s seat, whether they come as I did as a player straight away – which doesn’t happen very often – a coach, or an academy coach or an assistant manager, they feel they need to change.

“They get in this seat and I don’t know what takes over but they have to change something for some reason, and he hasn’t. So I think that’s the best thing, he has been authentic, he has been himself and it’s no surprise he has done really well.”