Bim Pepple is setting his sights on a Canada recall, according to Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley, with the 23-year-old striker hoping that consistent League One form can earn him a place in Jesse Marsch's plans.

Pepple was included in Canada's final squad ahead of the World Cup in March, a notable achievement for a third-tier player competing for international recognition alongside teammates plying their trade in the top five European leagues and the Championship. He did not make the final cut for the tournament itself, however, despite ending the previous season with 15 goals in 21 games.

This season he has picked up three goals for Argyle, including strikes in each of his past two appearances. Even so, he was not selected in Marsch's squad for Canada's forthcoming friendlies against Chile, Peru and the United States.

Cleverley was measured but realistic when asked about Pepple's international prospects.

"I've been around international players a lot in my career and a lot of those guys in the Canada squad will be in top five European leagues or the Championship," the Argyle head coach said. "Bim's behind the eight ball a little bit with that."

There was no self-pity attached to the assessment, though. Cleverley was clear about what the striker can control.

"All he can do is absolutely maximise what he can do," he said. "Score as many goals as he can, as many assists, hold the ball up as well as he did last weekend, press as much as he is doing for us, and let's see where that gets him. He got a call-up whilst being a League One player, an Argyle player, and one of his targets will be to do the same again this season."

It is a straightforward enough prescription: goals, pressing, hold-up play. Whether Marsch and his staff are watching closely enough to take note is another matter. International managers at that level rarely prioritise third-tier players unless the numbers are impossible to ignore, and even then the call-up is not guaranteed.

For Plymouth, however, the immediate benefit of a Pepple in form is less about what Canada think and more about what he can do in the League One table. Argyle recently moved into the top six, and the contributions of a striker who scores in consecutive games are worth considerably more to Cleverley's side than any friendly international window.

The challenge for Pepple is to keep the momentum going when the next batch of fixtures arrives. Three goals is a reasonable return early in the season, but the head coach has shown he is not shy about setting targets. Earlier this term Cleverley publicly challenged Josh Watts to reach ten League One goals; the expectation on Pepple is presumably no less demanding, even if it has been stated with rather more diplomatic framing.

Pepple represents an interesting case in English football: a young striker who has already demonstrated he can attract international attention while operating below the Championship, but who now needs sustained output to prove the earlier recognition was not a one-off. Scoring in back-to-back games is a start. Doing it across a full season, in a division as tight and physical as League One, is the actual test.

Canada's next squad announcement will come around. Whether Pepple is in it will depend almost entirely on what happens at Home Park between now and then.

Frequently asked

Has Bim Pepple been called up for Canada before?
Yes. Pepple was included in Canada's final squad before the World Cup in March, making him one of the few League One players to earn senior international recognition at that stage. He did not make the final cut for the tournament itself.
How many goals has Bim Pepple scored for Plymouth Argyle this season?
Pepple has scored three League One goals for Plymouth Argyle this season, including strikes in each of his last two appearances.
Who is the Plymouth Argyle head coach?
Tom Cleverley is the Plymouth Argyle head coach. He has spoken publicly about Pepple's ambition to return to the Canada squad and what the striker needs to do to get there.