Hull City head coach Sergej Jakirovic has described the club’s current injury crisis as remarkable as he prepares to begin the new top-flight campaign with numerous regulars and recent additions sidelined, with the scheduling proving particularly problematic.
The Tigers were plagued throughout the previous term by fitness issues affecting their main performers, with Jakirovic unable to select a completely healthy squad on any single occasion, never mind field a consistent team sheet, and those troubles have persisted through the summer months.
Key centre-back Charlie Hughes has not played since the opening days of pre-season training as the club persists in examining the complications he has experienced following his summer double hernia operation. Hughes travelled to see a specialist in the Irish capital this week for a further assessment and there are real worries regarding his potential comeback date.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland required surgery on the arm problem he sustained during training ahead of the friendly with Eintracht Frankfurt, while fellow newcomers Joe Gelhardt, Hidemasa Morita and Oscar Zambrano remain unavailable.
Morita may be ready for action next week in the Carabao Cup fixture at Stoke, though he will definitely sit out this weekend when the club launch their Premier League campaign at home to Manchester United. The club are also severely hampered by a second anterior cruciate ligament injury to Eliot Matazo, who is set to miss most of the campaign.
Darko Gyabi and Matty Jacob are also unavailable, while throughout pre-season, John Egan, Lewie Coyle, Cody Drameh and Mo Belloumi have all been managing various niggles during the past several weeks.
The Croatian manager told Hull Live that the situation is truly remarkable. Some of the injuries stem from issues carried over from last season, while others have emerged fresh. Fitness problems and injuries are simply part of the game, but the timing has been particularly unfortunate. The current injuries have lingering effects from the previous campaign and are recurring. There is little that can be done about it.
The midweek draw with Nice concluded the Tigers’ pre-season schedule, with attention now turning to preparing for Saturday’s season-opening encounter with United.
Jakirovic is eager for his team to develop greater cohesion and intends to use the week to refine their sharpness before competitive action begins and crucial points become at stake.
The City manager stated that thankfully pre-season is finished and everything proceeded according to plan while being cautious, with a week remaining before the campaign gets underway. There remains considerable work ahead. The team lacks proper rhythm currently, but he hopes that over the coming days, particularly with the new signings, they will discover it. The possibility of including them in the starting eleven exists, though that will become clearer the following week.
Elliot Stroud, Nobel Mendy, Lucas Herrington and Lucas Gourna-Douath all made their first appearances against Nice, and Jakirovic expressed satisfaction with what he witnessed while stressing that they will require time to adjust.
They are talented footballers, clearly visible, but adaptation takes time. They need to bond with the squad and understand each other better. Significant effort is needed, and Jens Hjerto-Dahl perhaps should have found the net on at least one occasion, but overall the situation is fine. With patience, they will continue improving.
Everything observed indicates they are skilled players, and their integration should ideally be swift since they are needed. Regarding Gourna-Douath, earlier in his career he demonstrated significant promise but appears to have stalled somewhat. The club has brought him in with the intention of enhancing and nurturing his abilities, hoping he will prove to be a valuable midfield option.