The Tigers could be without as many as four more players for the visit of promotion rivals Millwall
Lewie Coyle had to come off in the first half of City’s defeat at Ipswich Town(Image: Joe Toth/Shutterstock)
Hull City have been hit by yet more injury woe ahead of Saturday’s crucial MKM Stadium showdown against Millwall, with four players potentially added to the absentee list since Tuesday’s defeat at Ipswich Town.
Akin Famewo has suffered a calf injury, which is likely to keep him sidelined for around the next five weeks. Skipper Lewie Coyle, who limped out of the first half of City’s 1-0 Portman Road loss with an ankle problem, is unlikely to be fit, though it’s hoped he could be back for the trip to Wrexham next midweek.
Matt Crooks is unavailable because of suspension, having picked up his tenth booking in midweek, meaning he sits out the next two, and Amir Hadziahmetovic is facing a race against time to be fit with an ankle problem of his own.
Coyle’s likely absence, coupled with Famewo’s latest setback, means the Tigers have a real problem at left-back, given Ryan Giles and Matty Jacob are also out for a prolonged period of time. Skipper Coyle was deployed on the left side in midweek, but that will not be possible this weekend.
There is more positive news with Manchester United loanee Tony Collyer set to return to the squad, after coming through training, and Mo Belloumi is back in full training after his hamstring problem, but boss Sergej Jakirovic is keen to proceed with caution over the influential winger.
Belloumi could be in the squad this weekend, though that’s believed to be unlikely at this stage, with it more likely he’ll be given time to get himself back up to speed before being thrust back into the fold. Darko Gyabi is back on the grass and in line for a possible return towards the end of next month.
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The City boss also reaffirmed his frustration at the performance of referee Lewis Smith against the Tractor Boys, and felt there was no consistency in his display. Dean Holden and Jakirovic were both booked on the night, having expressed their annoyance at their players being booked, while they were on the receiving end of hefty kicks that went unpunished.
“We have a lot of problems with injured players. It’s been like this all season, and on Saturday, we must put the right first eleven on the pitch,” Jakirovic told Hull Live.
“Lewie has problems with his ankle. This is something I’m worried about because he got a kick there like Amir as well. There is no punishment, nothing (from referee Lewis Smith at Portman Road). This is a clear yellow card, and then when you get a yellow card, you cannot play the same; your aggression is only fifty per cent and not one hundred.
“I don’t have players, I lost the players for the next game, no yellow cards, no nothing, and now I’m struggling there with positions. I don’t know if he will be ready. I think for Millwall, he will not be ready, and we will see on Tuesday what will happen.
“It’s the same situation with Amir. Crooksy (Matt Crooks) got his 10th yellow card. If I see that on the other side, I will not complain, but there are a lot of challenges, exactly the same, and there is no punishment. This is something I worry about.
“We’ve lost four players (since Tuesday). Akin Famewo is the fourth. His calf is tight. It’s an MRI ‘2C’, so he’s out for four or five weeks. Without Gilo (Ryan Giles), Matty Jacob, and Coyle. God knows who will play there. I don’t know yet who will play there.”
Gyabi and Giles continue their respective recoveries but remain a long way off a first-team return. “He’s (Gyabi) on the pitch, individually with our physios. His recovery is going by the plan, I think, in mid to late April. We will see. Gilo is walking around the (training) pitch drinking coffee. We know about Gilo, it’s seven to eight weeks. There is no rush, and everything is going according to plan.”
While City’s injury-ravaged squad has more absentees, the return of Collyer after missing the last four league games is a boost, while Belloumi’s imminent return to the fold is significant, even if the next couple of games may come too soon, with Jakirovic extremely cautious.
“He (Collyer) trained good today. He will be in the squad. How many minutes is that? I need to decide, so we will see, but he will be in the squad.
“Mo Belloumi is back in (full) training. He trained today (Thursday) normally, so I will see with the medical staff if this game or next week he will join us. If you ask Mo, he feels completely fine already for two or three weeks, but we are very cautious there because of Liam Millar, because of him, Mo already got two injuries.”
Jakirovic was pleased with much of what he saw at Portman Road on Tuesday night, though there was an underlying frustration that his side didn’t make the most of their attacking opportunities.
“It’s always frustrating when you lose the game, but this is life,” he continued. “We must take lessons from these games because I think we were good defensively, very good. When I watch the GPS (data), it’s also in the top five games for running and high intensity, sprinting, everything.
“Unfortunately, in this situation (for the winning goal), we didn’t react good. We can defend that, but also it’s the individual quality of Ipswich players who scored a fantastic goal at the end.
“We will try to play good so that we have a good performance. I said already that we have a lot of problems, especially in the left full-back position – this is no secret. You see that we don’t have players, and we must choose the right formation. What is good for our players so that they feel natural in their position? This is the first problem.
“We will approach those games like in previous games, so that we are good on the pitch. I know it’s Millwall at home and then Wrexham away, but we will try to take some points there. This is natural, this is normal.”
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