The experienced 32-year-old has been one of City’s biggest influences under Sergej Jakirovic
Hull City trio John Egan, Matt Crooks and Paddy McNair at The Den(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Ex-Hull City promotion-winning boss Phil Brown believes Matt Crooks is the most underrated player in the Championship, and says the midfielder would be fit to grace the Premier League.
Crooks will surely go down as one of the best signings in recent memory after arriving from Salt Lake City in the MLS in January 2025, when the Tigers were fighting against relegation to League One.
The Yorkshireman scored the goal that kept City up at Fratton Park on the final day of last season, and played a crucial role in goals that saw the Tigers see off Oxford United on the final day to get into the play-offs, and then in the 2-0 win at Millwall in the second leg of the semi-final earlier this month.
Brown, who watched City destroy Alex Neil’s Lions at The Den last Monday to seal their place in the Wembley final against Middlesbrough, highlighted the performances of Crooks, experienced defender John Egan, Ivor Pandur and Oli McBurnie.
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“I tell you, Crooksy, he’s got to be the most underrated player in the Championship,” Brown said on the 1904 Club podcast. “When he goes in the Premier League next year, fingers crossed, hopefully that happens, you’ve got a starting midfield player there that can grace the Premier League without a shadow of a doubt. I was well impressed with him.
“I was well impressed with Johnny Egan. I was well impressed with the goalkeeper (Ivor Pandur), McBurnie, you don’t need to go overboard about, cos he does what he does. Will it be a fit in the Premier League? We don’t know, so we’ll have to wait and see, but I hope Sergej’s doing exactly what I was saying to the Hull City players back in the day. I’m going to give everybody a chance because you’ve worked your tripe off to get there and I ain’t gonna throw that away.”
You can listen to the full podcast with Phil Brown herewatch on YouTube
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