The popular playmaker remains sidelined through injury
Matt Crooks has been a big miss (Image: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock)
Sergej Jakirovic admits the absence of influential playmaker Matt Crooks is being felt by his Hull City team as the Tigers boss continues to try and find the right formula in the middle of the park.
Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Bristol City again highlighted the Tigers’ shortcomings in the engine room, something Jakirovic has wrestled with in recent months.
While Regan Slater has been in fine form and an ever-present, Amir Hadziahmetovic’s form has been up and down, while John Lundstram has yet to fire since returning from injury.
Toby Collyer made his first appearance off the bench on Saturday and could be given more minutes on Friday night against Chelsea in the FA Cup, while Darko Gyabi and Eliot Matazo remain sidelined.
Crooks has missed the last four games and isn’t expected back until the start of next month as he recovers from a hamstring problem, with it hoped he could be back in contention at Ipswich Town on March 3, so Jakirovic will have to find a solution in the four games between now and then.
“A lot,” Jakirovic told Hull Live when asked how much the Tigers were missing the 32-year-old Yorkshireman. “In every moment of the play, every moment of the play (we miss him).
“Now, when you see he’s not with us, then you see you’re struggling in some moments of the game, but he’s injured, so this is an opportunity or chance for someone else. We have options in there, so they must improve, and they must prove that they are a good choice.”
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