Hull City have been rocked by yet another major injury setback with the new Premier League season less than two weeks from getting underway.
Summer signing Jack Butland has suffered a problem in his arm and will need surgery, which could keep him sidelined for the next 12 weeks, with a real worry he might not be seen until the New Year, pending a further examination.
The news comes as a hammer blow to City, and Butland, who had impressed during pre-season following his £3m arrival from Rangers, and he joins the growing list of players that will miss the beginning of the new campaign.
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Butland’s enforced absence hands the chance to Konstantinos Tzolakis to stake his claim for the number one shirt, and he made his debut in the penultimate friendly of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, which saw the Tigers beaten 2-0 in Germany.
City are already reeling at the news that Charlie Hughes is expected to miss the season opener with a groin injury, and so, too, Darko Gyabi, who suffered a thigh problem in the first game of pre-season against Konyaspor and could be out for another three months.
John Egan didn’t travel owing to an ankle complaint, while Enis Destan complained of some pain in his knee and was left back in England. Hidemasa Morita is expected back on the grass next week, but remains some way away from full fitness.
Matters were made worse inside five minutes against Frankfurt when Paddy McNair had to be replaced by Cathal McCarthy after complaining of an issue behind his knee, before Liam Millar headed off with a knee issue and was seen on crutches.
Millar is expected to be OK, according to Sergej Jakirovic, who joked about the Canadian’s ‘dead leg’ sustained in the first half after a clash with the goalkeeper.
“Today, we lost Paddy with some pain behind his knee, and we already lost John Egan with an ankle problem. Liam Millar has a dead leg, but I think he’s OK. I started to laugh when I saw him on crutches. Jens complained a little about his groin. We will know more after Paddy’s medical check.
“John Egan got a kick on his ankle against Kasimpasa, and he trained normally for two days, but then he felt uncomfortable, and we didn’t want to take any risks with him. It was a precaution for him to stay behind in England, and we hope he will be fine to play next Saturday against Nice.
“Jack Butland has an elbow injury which he picked up in training. He will go to see another specialist, and then we will know more after he’s seen this examination. Yes, I am concerned about it (Butland’s injury).
“Cody Drameh has a problem with his hamstring, which he picked up in the first half against Kasimpasa, and is likely to be out for two to three weeks. He had this problem last season.
“With Destan, it was either his knee or his head. We will see. He reported an issue with his MCL, and we will see in the next few days what will happen with him,” the Croatian boss added.
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