Hull City defender Cathal McCarthy is joining Kilmarnock on loan for the duration of the 2026/27 season, as he looks to get a full campaign under his belt.
McCarthy will spend the season with Killie, as they look to recover from a poor start to the Scottish Premiership season, which has seen them beaten 4-3 in their season opener at St Johnstone, before losing 5-1 at home to Celtic, though they did come through a Scottish League Cup game against Ayr on Friday night.
The talented young Irishman has impressed when given opportunities under Sergej Jakirovic since arriving from University College Dublin last summer, and has been a regular feature in this pre-season, but will now look to play regularly for the Rugby Park outfit.
McCarthy, who turns 20 at the end of this month, played six times in the Championship for City last season, making his debut against Blackburn Rovers, whilst also playing twice in the FA Cup against Rovers and Chelsea.
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City have moved to bolster their defensive ranks ahead of the new Premier League season, spending over £30m to bring in Nobel Mendy and Lucas Herrington, which would have left the Irish Under-21 international struggling for minutes, and the club are keen to get him playing regularly.
Speaking exclusively to Hull Live in Frankfurt, after replacing the injured Paddy McNair inside five minutes, he revealed how he would be open to a loan move to boost his exposure to senior football.
“It’s everyone’s dream to play in the Premier League, but I’m not too worried about it. If it comes this year and if it comes next year, if I were to wait a few years, that’s OK. I know I just need to play. At this age, you just need to play 30 games in a league, just get minutes under the belt. If they send me out loan, I’m more than happy to do that because minutes are important when you’re this young.”
City are also thought to be planning on extending McCarthy’s contract, which runs until next summer, though the Tigers do have a 12-month option on that deal.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have been linked with a move for Fiorentina defender Niccolò Fortini. The 20-year-old is primarily a left-back, but can aso operate on the right and is under contract in Florence until next summer. Last term, he played 16 times in Serie A.
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