The Tigers have made their first signing of the winter window
Yu Hirakawa has signed for Hull City(Image: )
Hull City assistant manager Dean Holden admits he’s surprised winger Yu Hirakawa has been allowed to join the Tigers on loan for the rest of the season, with the club having had glowing reports on their new addition.
Hirakawa was at City’s training ground on Monday to meet his new colleagues and train for the first time before the squad travels to Lancashire for Tuesday night’s clash at Preston North End, where he’s expected to make his Tigers debut.
The Japanese ace has been a regular for the Robins this season, and played 25 minutes in their goalless draw at struggling Oxford United on Saturday, though he’s been restricted to just three starts under Gerhard Struber.
City have moved quickly to bring in much-needed cover on the flanks, with Mo Belloumi set to miss a large chunk of the season with another hamstring.
“A little bit,” Holden told Hull Live when asked if he was surprised his old club had sanctioned his exit. “It’s down to the football club, down to the manager down there, the decisions they make, nothing to do with me anymore. I know that the few people I’ve spoken to speak really, really well of him.”
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Hirakawa becomes the first first-team signing of the winter window, and Holden says the type of character the 25-year-old is and the quality he will bring will add significantly to Sergej Jakirovic’s options.
“Very happy to be able to get him in, he comes with glowing reports from the guys down in Bristol that we’ve spoken to, I think his quality is there for all to see, very good technically,” Holden continued.
“He’s a very good set-piece taker. For a wide player, he’ll want to run in behind as well, which I think is really important to the way that we play. He brings a huge amount of energy and aggression on the pitch as well, so, for us, I think he’ll be a great addition.
“I’ve just spoken there about the technical and the tactical side of it, but his personality, I think, he’s an infectious type of character, and they loved him down there at Bristol.”
“It’s really important when you bring someone in, particularly in January, when you’re at the stage of the season we’re at, whoever comes through the door needs to not just fit into the group but add to the group as well in a positive way, and we’re really sure that that’s going to be the case.”
Unlike in the summer when City were forced to sign players that had not played a huge amount in pre-season, or had trained alone, Hirakawa arrives fully fit and in the rhythm of playing, which Holden says is crucial.
“That’s important for sure, and just as important, he knows the Championship as well. He’s spent a decent period of time here, so he knows the league, he knows the rigours of the Championship. That’s very, very important.”
The arrival of the winger is exciting, says Holden, especially as it raises the levels in training and pushes other players, knowing there’s fresh competition.
“It’s always super exciting – we’ve got good reports on the boy already – to get to know him,” Holden explained. “The manager was really impressed about his mentality when he spoke to him, and to see him for the first time, get to know him, get to know a new person, his upbringing, his family, all that type of thing, what he stands for, what he’s about, and then that first training session’s always excellent because he’ll want to show his quality to his new group.
“The lads that are here always want to show off a little bit to the new guy as well. It always adds to the buzz of the training sessions, and we’ve only got a light one and then for Yu, it’s perfect, we’re straight on the bus down to Preston in the hotel, and Yu can get to know his teammates pretty quickly.”
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