Hull City swooped to sign Darko Gyabi from Leeds United on transfer deadline day
Hull City have signed a player with ‘real energy’ and an on-the-pitch leader in Darko Gyabi, according to former England Under-19 manager Simon Rusk.
The Tigers brought Gyabi to the MKM Stadium from Leeds United on transfer deadline day, with the midfielder set to come into the squad for Saturday’s Championship game at Swansea City.
The 21-year-old has represented England at Under-15, 16, 18, 19, 20 and U21 level, but didn’t manage to break into the Leeds side despite a reported £5m move from Manchester City in 2022.
Rusk handed Gyabi the captain’s armband in 2023 when England U19s faced Hungary an Under-19 European Championships qualifying match, a game they would win 1-0.
He was impressed with the emerging talent back then, and his comments give an indication of what Hull City will hope to see in the coming months.
“He’s got real energy,” Rusk said. “I think what I do have is, there are a few players who would possibly be deserving of the armband.
“Obviously, we had the camp in September and Darko lent himself to some leadership roles, he captained the group in one of the games.
“We lost Sammy Braybrooke unfortunately, due to a nasty injury earlier in the season, so Darko’s stepped up to that well.”
Gyabi comes to City after two loan spells at Plymouth Argyle, where he played a total of 58 times for the Pilgrims. However, he only managed five first-team appearances in four seasons at Leeds.
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