Plymouth Argyle boss Tom Cleverley says he expects Ukraine defender Maksym Talovierov to leave the club in the coming days.

When the 25-year-old centre-back joined Argyle from Austrian side LASK in January, he became the club’s record signing. He appeared 13 times in all competitions for the Pilgrims and was an important member of the team that defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round before scoring against Manchester City in Argyle’s fifth-round defeat.

He will be the next high-profile player to leave after relegation, following Ryan Hardie and Michael Baidoo to new clubs. “We expect Maxi to conclude his exit from the club. “I believe that’s 99% done,” Cleverley told BBC Sport.

“We don’t expect Maxi back in the building – he’s a superb player who plays for Ukraine and is attempting to qualify for the World Cup.

“He’s been very respectful with myself, he’s been very respectful with his teammates and if you are unfortunately going to lose a player like Maxi he’s certainly done it in a very respectful way and he’s gone to the level above, which is the nature of being relegated at times.”

Meanwhile, Cleverley confirms that the club has extended an offer to former Bristol City player Ayman Benarous. Following his release from the Championship club, the 21-year-old spent the summer on trial at Home Park. He has not played since April 2022 due to major knee ailments.

Cleverley, on the other hand, says he has been impressed by his versatility and is hopeful that the worst of his injury troubles are behind him. “He has been pretty impressive throughout his trial period. “He’s had fitness issues in the past, and he appears to be over them,” Cleverely said.

“In all the physical work we’ve done, he’s been incredibly competitive and at the front of that, so he’s a player that, for sure, has a little bit of danger linked with his injury history, but the quality he’s shown in the last week much transcends that risk, in my opinion.

“We’ll be delighted if we can come to a deal on that.” The club is also hoping to acquire a more experienced attacker, having signed Bim Pepple and Owen Oseni to their roster, while American custodian Tyler Miller is on trial after being released by Nottinghamshire County.

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