Ryan Giles could be given a lifeline at Hull City following the departure of Ruben Selles last Thursday, after the Tigers secured their Championship safety.
Giles was allowed to leave in January by Selles after struggling to pin down a regular berth at City following his summer move from Luton Town, but his return to the Riverside Stadium did not work out.
Despite Boro and in particular, boss Michael Carrick spending the majority of last summer courting Giles, who had impressed previously on Teesside, the left-back made just 12 appearances, with only three of those coming from the start.
Both Giles and Carrick would have wanted to make that move permanent this summer, but that’s extremely unlikely, and as it stands, the Telford-born defender will be back at Cottingham for the start of pre-season training at the beginning of July.
City spent £4m on the 25-year-old 12 months ago and can ill-afford to allow him to leave for a cut-price fee or farm him off on loan next season whilst paying a large percentage of his salary.
A new manager will be in charge when Giles returns, and City know that on his day, they have a player capable of performing at a high level, and it’s up to him and his manager to get the best out of him. We know from his first spell at Boro when he notched 12 assists that the ex-Wolves youngster is capable of being a real attacking weapon in the right system.
Getting the best out of Giles could be crucial and solve a problem in the transfer market. He’s a top talent at this level and a good character in the dressing room, but he needs confidence and a system that will suit him. Maybe operating as a wing-back if the new manager operates with three central defenders could be an option, and in turn, give the side more attacking threat.
The Tigers muddled through in the second half of the campaign with the ever-reliable Sean McLoughlin operating at left-back and while he did a fine job, that is clearly not a sustainable way forward and that area of the pitch must be given full attention this summer.