The Tigers summer signing has struggled on the pitch in recent weeks
Oli McBurnie in conversation with John Lundstram and Kieran Dowell
(Image: Alex Dodd/Shutterstock)
Kyle Joseph has hailed the impact of John Lundstram in the Hull City dressing room, revealing the experienced campaigner delivered a motivational message before Tuesday night’s win over Derby County.
City ended a run of two defeats and a draw in their last three games by producing a rousing performance to beat their play-off rivals 4-2 in a gripping Championship contest.
Joseph played his part on his return to the side, as he marked his 50th City appearance with an assist for Lewis Koumas’ terrific volley to round off the scoring and seal a crucial three points.
Lundstram watched on from the bench, not getting on in the second half, but Joseph says his influence should not be underestimated, even though it’s not being felt out on the pitch just at the moment.
The summer signing from Trabzonspor has struggled to make an impact in recent weeks since returning to action, having missed the best part of three months through injury.
Some fans had suggested in January that his loan should be cut short, given his struggles with injuries, something Joseph feels is wide of the mark.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search. Help us stay visible by adding us as a Preferred Source in your search settings
“In terms of what the game was gonna be like. He didn’t have to say it, but he did. He turned the music off and said it,” Joseph told Hull Live.
“It’s stuff like that that sticks with you, just before the game, just as you’re about to go out. He’s a man who’s played 500 games, and look, he’s not playing, but he’s there, he wanted us to win. He wants to win. He’s not even on the pitch. I look at that, and I just think that just sums him up, the type of player he is, how much he wants to win, the will to win, the determination and stuff like that. He’s just a massive, massive player for us.
“That’s just baffling,” he said when it was put to him about the suggestion from some that his loan spell should have been terminated. “You look at his qualities, he’s got so much quality to him in training and stuff. He’s been really unlucky in terms of his injuries and stuff.
“The injury that he initially had wasn’t meant to keep him out as long as he was, and I think when you’ve been out for that long, I’ve done it myself, I think everyone’s been in that situation where you’re out for three-plus months and you’re coming back and you’re trying to get to one hundred percent in the middle of a season is always going to be difficult.
“I think we can all see Lunny’s quality and the way he is, and he’ll keep getting fitter and in training. He’ll keep getting that sharpness back, and that’s just the way it is by playing the game. He’ll keep getting to that and get back to levels of what he’s shown previously.”
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.