Oscar Zambrano’s return to Hull City has been completed, after the Tigers confirmed their latest new arrival during their pre-season training camp in Slovenia.
The 22-year-old has agreed a four-year contract with the Premier League club, including a 12-month option. after City struck an undisclosed deal with Slovenian side Maribor.
Ecuador midfielder Zambrano is back at the MKM Stadium almost two years after his loan spell was cut short because of a doping ban handed down by the South American Football Federation (CONMEBOL) prior to his arrival at City.
His initial 16-month ban was reduced to 12 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on appeal, and he began his comeback in November with Maribor.
Zambrano made eight appearances during his initial loan spell in East Yorkshire, scoring twice including one a 4-1 win over Cardiff City early on in Tim Walter’s failed reign.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page
It was always felt that the young midfielder, once compared to Moises Caicedo after breaking through at LDU Quito, would return to City at some point, and that’s now happened following the Tigers’ rise from the Championship to the Premier League.
Zambrano, 22, will now be challenged to impress Sergej Jakirovic and prove he’s capable enough of forcing his way into his thinking for the upcoming Premier League campaign, which gets underway late next month.
It’s expected that the Ecuadorian will get his first chance to give Jakirovic a glimpse of his talent when City play their first pre-season game against Super Lig side Konyaspor on Saturday.
Hull Live will be the only English media with City during every step of their pre-season tour, and you can follow all our updates in print and online.
We remain dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news from inside their training camp 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 latest tour updates.