Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic says it’s no surprise that there has been significant interest in Cody Drameh this summer, but says the defender is a key part of his squad.
City now have no plans to allow Drameh to leave this summer, despite interest from Derby County and Preston North End, amongst others. That stance is a marked change from much earlier in the summer when the club were considering allowing Drameh to leave the MKM Stadium.
The 23-year-old has shone in pre-season so far, with his value to the squad emphasised by the fact that Lewie Coyle picked up a hamstring injury against Istanbulspor shortly after coming on last Tuesday. Coyle is set to be out for around a month and is unlikely to be ready for the first game of the season against Coventry City two weeks on Saturday, which hands Drameh a chance to stake a claim for the right-back berth.
“Yes (I’ve been impressed with him), he has trained very, very good,” the Bosnian told Hull Live. “Cody has big abilities, and he can repeat them all day and all night, so it’s very, very good for us. He’s still a young player, and he also needs support. We have two very good options at the right full-back position.”
Earlier in the summer, as many as nine different clubs declared interest in the full-back, who joined from Leeds United 12 months ago, but City’s boss is relaxed about the situation.
“This is normal,” Jakirovic said of the interest in Drameh. “He’s young, he has potential, and as I say, he can repeat (his actions all day), and this is modern football today.”
Coyle’s absence is a blow for the skipper, but as is often the case in football, it presents somebody else with the chance to play, and that’s the case with Drameh.
“Yes, of course (it hands a chance to the 23-year-old), but we need in every position two good players because it’s a very long season and you can get an injury in every training session, in every game, so I hope he (Coyle) will come back soon.”
You Ready for this?
There is no better way to get you in the mood for a new campaign than this stunning 64-page EFL special edition.
We profile all 72 clubs in the EFL, have every team’s fixtures, look at the key players, and provide a comprehensive list of the crucial dates not to miss.
Your guide to the EFL is on sale now. Click here to buy.
Here at Hull Live, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.