‘I love him’ – Hull City star delivers heartwarming assessment of new signing
Yu Hirakawa has made quite the impact since arriving at Hull City(Image: Alfie Cosgrove/News Images)
Regan Slater admits he’s already in love with Hull City‘s first January recruit, Yu Hirakawa, and says the Japanese international is a bundle of energy.
The on-loan Bristol City winger made his home debut in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Swansea City, a game in which Slater bagged a fine second goal, and was quick to get a near-capacity home crowd off their feet.
Hirakawa backed up an assist on his debut a few days earlier at Deepdale, with another promising cameo, with in-form Slater stressing what a positive impact new signings can have in raising spirits and levels.
“I love him,” Slater told Hull Live. “I think he’s so sharp in training. We’ve obviously not seen him too much with the games because they’ve been coming thick and fast, but he’s just really sharp. He’s exactly like what you’re seeing on a match day. He’s very good.
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“It’s nice to see new faces. You look at the bench, and the bench is strong, especially in these three-game weeks; you need everyone in the squad.
“When lads are getting tired, we’ve got very good quality coming in off the bench. The lads that are starting, it gives them a little kick again to not take their foot off the pedal, because if you’re not at it, then the shirt’s gone really.”
After losing at home to Stoke City on New Year’s Day, City have won in the FA Cup and secured three big wins in the league to cement their place inside the top six, rounding off what’s been a terrific period as attention now turns to Saturday’s trip to Ewood Park.
“It’s been a very good week, it’s been a tough week, and we’ve come out on top, so it’s been a very good week,” Slater continued. “I’ve said before that you need to win games back to back and you need to put runs together to go and achieve something, and that’s what we’ve been doing. Credit to the team for constantly going again in a tough period.
“Losses are part of the game, they’re going to happen, and sometimes it’s a bit of a blessing in disguise, it’s a little kick back down to reality, and it sparks you to go again, and the reaction’s been fantastic from the lads.”
Slater himself got on the scoresheet with a stunning drive, which was the Tigers’ first from outside the box this season, and understandably, it was quite a moment to see his second goal of the campaign nestle in the back of the net and hear the crowd roar after encouraging him to ‘shoot’.
“I just thought ‘Hit it’, really,” Slater explained. “Luckily, I struck it very, very well, and it was nice to just watch it hit the net. With it being a lovely strike and that, I was buzzing, yeah. As soon as it left my foot, I got to watch it hit the net, and, yeah, it was a great feeling.”
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