Hull City head coach Ruben Selles has hinted that Aston Villa loanee Louie Barry could be in line for this first start for the club against Norwich City tomorrow.
The Tigers welcome the Canaries to the MKM Stadium hoping to bounce back from back-to-back defeats. They remain in deep trouble towards the foot of the Championship table, with the 2-0 reverse against Burnley on Wednesday seeing them slip back into the bottom three on goal difference.
Few would have forgiven Ruben Selles for believing his side had turned a corner last month when they recorded successive away wins against Millwall and Sheffield United. However, they followed that with an eighth home loss of the season against Stoke City before falling to the Clarets.
Selles Ready To Unleash Barry?
Hull pulled off somewhat of a coup when they landed Aston Villa attacker Louie Barry on loan last month. After scoring 15 goals in 23 League One appearances for Stockport County during the first half of the season, he was wanted by a number of second tier clubs during the recent transfer window.
The 21-year-old revealed he opted to move to East Yorkshire following a conversation with Selles, but has been limited to just two substitute appearances thus far. Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s clash, the former Reading boss has stated that a lack of match fitness has led to the slow start, although the youngster is now fully fit:
“Everything has a process. I think it depends on the position. It will take a little bit more. I think it’s not only Louie who also came from an injury in his last game with Stockport, then went to Aston Villa and trained there, but his match fitness needed to go the way that we wanted, and he’s fully ready. It’s on my selection, and that’s what I expect from the team.”
Writer’s View
Although Barry had never played a Championship game, his arrival at the MKM Stadium was met with excitement from Hull supporters. It’s easy to see why; he is a player who is expected to have a big career at the highest level in the game. Selles would have been tempted to fast track him into the squad due to the Tigers precarious league position. However, he has taken the sensible option by easing him in and he will be hoping that that decision will see his team reap the benefits in the coming months. Whether he can fire them to Championship survival is another matter altogether.
