Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic will give Jonjo Shelvey another chance to impress when the Tigers face Kasimpasa today.
The Tigers will bring their week-long trip to Istanbul to a close against a familiar face in the form of ex-boss Shota Arveladze, who is back at the Kasimpasa helm for a second spell.
Shelvey has been in training with City since the first week of pre-season, in a bid to earn a contract at the MKM Stadium. The 33-year-old midfielder played 45 minutes on Tuesday evening against Istanbulspor, operating alongside Regan Slater in the heart of the engine room. He showed glimpses of the quality that has seen him forge a career in the Premier League with the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United.
Jakirovic says he’s yet to make a decision on whether to offer Shelvey a contract or not and will continue to run the rule over him in the coming days
“You see that he has an idea, creativity, maybe he would like some more fitness, but we will see this again on Saturday, and then next week we will decide,” he said. “”Yes, for sure (he has experience), we need experience, but also we need to see more on the pitch.”
Tuesday’s win made it two in a row after beating Grimsby Town before the flight out to Turkey, leaving Jakirovic to joke that maybe the curse of last season has gone – City didn’t win any of their six pre-season outings 12 months ago, losing four.
“I’m very happy, maybe we have broken the curse!” he said. “I don’t know. It’s very interesting. I heard that after Grimsby, but it’s not that I don’t care about results, but it’s always about having a winning mentality.
“This is very good for sure because we’re working very hard, but it’s nice to win and also (important) that you are used to it. This feeling for me is most important. I cannot say anything to the players because they are following us, and I’m convinced that it will be much better than before.”
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