Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic has delivered a positive fitness update ahead of the Tigers’ trip to face Chelsea, confirming that the club has no major new injury concerns following Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup clash with Sunderland.
Hull were already without Brooke Norton-Cuffy for the meeting at the Stadium of Light after the right-back reported a calf problem. However, further assessment has eased those concerns, with a scan revealing no significant damage and clearing him to return to contention.
Norton-Cuffy initially felt discomfort following Hull’s previous game against Aston Villa. The club opted to take no chances and sent him for a scan the following day, with the results showing that there was no serious issue. Jakirovic’s decision to rest him against Sunderland now appears to have worked, as the defender should be available for the Chelsea fixture.
The Hull boss also confirmed that John Egan is fine despite taking a knock late in the Sunderland contest. The experienced defender has trained normally and is expected to be available, providing another boost to Jakirovic’s defensive options.
Paddy McNair has also recovered from the metatarsal problem that had kept him out. Jakirovic confirmed that the versatile defender is fit and ready to contribute if selected.
“Still Morita, Charlie Hughes, but I think that’s it,” Jakirovic said when discussing the players who could miss the upcoming game. “Cuffy is fine after a scan, Paddy McNair is fine.”
He added that while several players picked up minor issues during the Sunderland match, none were considered serious enough to rule them out.
“There were some problems after the Sunderland game but nothing special and they will be available for the game,” Jakirovic explained.
The biggest potential boost, however, could come from Tim Iroegbunam. The deadline-day arrival is pushing to make his Hull City debut after missing both the draw against Aston Villa and the Carabao Cup encounter because of an injury suffered during pre-season with Everton.
Iroegbunam has now returned to full training and appears to have taken another important step toward making his first appearance for his new club.
“Tim trained normally today,” Jakirovic said. “That was the plan, that he stayed at home, that he did a good session. It’s about fitness and today he is good, so he is available.”
The midfielder’s recovery has been carefully managed since his arrival. Hull received GPS data from Everton detailing his workload around the time of the injury, allowing the Tigers’ staff to gradually increase his training demands rather than rushing him back into competitive action.
“He had the injury and Everton sent us the GPS after the injury,” Jakirovic explained. “We saw there were not so many kilometres, so we have to push there. After the injury this is normal. It’s everything by the plan.”
With Norton-Cuffy, McNair, Egan and Iroegbunam all potentially available, Jakirovic could head into the Chelsea clash with considerably more depth than he had feared earlier in the week.
For Hull, the focus now turns to one of their biggest challenges, with the squad hoping to carry the momentum from their recent cup outing into a demanding Premier League assignment. The return of several players could prove particularly valuable as Jakirovic looks to keep his side competitive against a Chelsea team capable of testing every area of the pitch.