The Tigers continue to be hampered by major injury problems
Hull City have been rocked by the news that influential full-back Ryan Giles is set to be sidelined for the next month through injury, in another cruel blow for the club.
In-form Giles limped out of Monday night’s 1-0 win at his former club Middlesbrough after just five minutes, and though he tried to continue, he was replaced by teenager Cathal McCarthy, who delivered a fine display for City.
Scan results have since revealed damage to his left hamstring, which is expected to keep Giles out for at least three weeks, potentially longer and means the star, who has eight assists in 22 games, will likely miss the remainder of January’s action.
The news is another hammer blow to boss Sergej Jakirovic, who continues to lose key players at an alarming rate, which means there is no immediate prospect of him having a fully fit squad to pick from, a luxury he’s yet to experience this season.
Despite claiming four points from away trips to Sheffield Wednesday and Boro, City also lost Mo Belloumi to a hamstring problem, which is expected to keep him out until the Spring.
Belloumi was offered surgery to reduce the risk of suffering the same injury, but declined in the hope of returning sooner than expected. However, he’s still not likely to be available until after the international break in March as it stands.
John Lundstram remains out with a knee problem and is not expected to return to the squad for Sunday’s visit of Watford, but could feature against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup next weekend.
Joe Gelhardt is another key player sidelined with injury, though it’s hoped he could return towards the middle of the month, while Eliot Matazo could make his comeback from an ACL injury at the beginning of next month.
City registered James Furlong ahead of Thursday’s defeat to Stoke City, and he made his first appearance in a Championship squad for almost two years. They could also include Matty Jacob against Watford.
Jacob is back from his loan spell at Reading, which was cut short because of a knee injury. He’s now recovered from that setback, and he trained on Wednesday, with him potentially providing cover for the stricken Giles after the EFL approved his registration on Thursday.
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