PAUL MARINER has refused to rule out a return to first team duty at Plymouth Argyle for defender Marcel Seip.

The 27-year-old has been on loan with Championship rivals Blackpool since the end of September after a fall-out with Paul Sturrock.

Now Mariner has taken over control of first team affairs from Sturrock, there could be a chance for Seip to resume his Argyle career.

The Dutch centre-back has been ruled out of Blackpool's last three matches by a hamstring injury.

But it is thought he could be fit for the Seasiders' home game against Sheffield Wednesday on December 28.

That is a day before the third and final month of his loan spell from Argyle comes to an end.

Mariner would not comment directly on the prospects of Seip playing first team football again for the Pilgrims.

But he admitted: "There is a possibility that anybody who is in the squad could play."

Seip was transfer-listed and fined two weeks' wages following a dressing room bust-up with Sturrock after Argyle's 3-1 home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on August 29.

He was made to train with the club's youth squad before eventually signing for Blackpool – who are managed by former Pilgrims' boss Ian Holloway – at the end of September.

Seip famously scored for the Seasiders when they beat Argyle 2-0 at Bloomfield Road in a Championship clash the following month.

After that match, the defender insisted he would not play for Argyle again as long as Sturrock was manager.

Seip, the son-in-law of Pilgrims' deputy chairman Paul Stapleton, has played seven times for Blackpool and netted twice.

Mariner will attend Argyle's reserve team game against Salisbury City at Home Park today (2pm).

It will give him a chance to assess the players who were not involved in the 2-0 defeat away to Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday.

Among those set to play for the reserves will be defender Krisztian Timar and on-loan Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan.

Neither of them were even on the substitutes' bench at Deepdale.

But experienced duo David McNamee and Steve MacLean will not play against Salisbury.

McNamee had an operation on a broken bone in a hand on Friday, and MacLean's future still seems to be away from Home Park.

MacLean started the season in the first team, but the striker had recently fallen out of favour with Sturrock and been told he could leave the club.

When asked why MacLean would not play for the reserves today, Mariner replied: "Because of my choice at the present moment."

Meanwhile, Mariner wants to recruit some backroom staff as soon as possible because he is currently solely responsible for coaching the first team squad.

He said: "I could do with a couple of extra pairs of hands, to be honest. There is a lot to do on the football side."

Mariner's first match in his new role ended in defeat at Preston, but he still took a lot out of the experience.

He said: "I will probably never say this again, after getting beaten 2-0 in a game, but I really enjoyed myself on Saturday.

"I love being around these guys."