Kornel Szucs praised for English transition at Plymouth Argyle

Julio Pleguezuelo has been impressed with the way his Plymouth Argyle team-mate Kornel Szucs has quickly adapted to English football.

Szucs, 23, was signed from Hungarian top flight club Kecskemti for a transfer fee of around £400,000 in early August and already appears to be a bargain buy. After being an unused substitute for the first two Championship matches of the season, the centre-back made his debut as a late substitute in a 1-1 draw away Queens Park Rangers.

He has made 12 successive league starts since then, first with Lewis Gibson as his defensive partner until the latter picked up a thigh injury and more recently with Pleguezuelo, who can appreciate what the transition has been like for Szucs.

READ MORE: Plymouth Argyle linked with January move for Swedish midfielder

READ MORE: Injured Plymouth Argyle captain Joe Edwards taking up Wayne Rooney invite

Pleguezuelo played youth football in his homeland of Spain for Espanyol, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona before joining Arsenal aged 16 in 2013. His career really took off when he signed for Dutch side FC Twente in 2019 and he then came to Argyle three years later.

Not only has Szucs made his mark for the Pilgrims, his form also earned him his first senior Hungary international call-up last month, and his debut came as a substitute near the end of a 2-0 away win against Bosnia Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League.

Pleguezuelo said: "You can see the talent is there, he's a great kid. He's a great player. It's not easy coming into England and doing as well as he has been doing.

"I have been in that situation when I first came to England. It's not easy adapting to the game, the culture. I think we have made him feel very welcome. He's doing great so happy and pleased for him."

Szucs retained his place in the Hungary squad for their next two Nations League games, which are both against two of world football's top teams. First, they will play the Netherlands in Amsterdam tomorrow (Saturday) and then host Germany at the Puskas Arena in Budapest next Tuesday.

That means there will only be a short turnaround in time before Szucs returns to Argyle duty for their Sky-televised Championship clash against Watford on Friday, November 22.

Meanwhile, Argyle striker Ben Waine - who is currently out on loan to Mansfield Town - played as a substitute for New Zealand in an 8-1 home win against Vanuatu in a 2026 World Cup qualifier in Hamilton. He replaced Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood in the 75th minute, by which time the All Whites were already 6-1 up.

You can read more of our Argyle stories from Plymouth Live by clicking HERE