Hull City‘s Sergej Jakirovic will wait to see what specialists say as to whether Matt Crooks is involved in the Tigers’ upcoming matches.
Despite suffering a chest injury in their win over Leicester City, Crooks persevered and played 70 minutes in this weekend’s game against Charlton Athletic, assisting Joe Gelhardt’s opening goal of the game. That result kept Hull in the playoff conversation, and now sit 10 points clear of the drop in a season they were largely expected to struggle in.
Could Go Either Way
However, Crooks’ involvement in future matches has come into question following Sergej Jakirovic’s post-match comments in East Yorkshire. The 31-year-old had started to become a regular first-choice option for the Tigers, playing in each of their last 4 Championship fixtures, extending to his substitute appearance against Sheffield United.
Speaking to the media after the full-time whistle, the Bosnian manager spoke of Crooks’ condition and whether a layoff was required. (Quotes via HullLive):
“Matt Crooks, I saw this for the first time in my life, this injury he picked up against Leicester. He fell down alone. Normally, this injury occurs in boxing, kickboxing, karate or UFC.
“He played today (Saturday), and on Monday, he will go to see a specialist to see what the options are. One doctor said that he needs to go and have surgery, and if he goes for surgery, it’s two months out, so we will see.
“Maybe he can play till the national break, but this is just my wish. The doctor will decide it. He’s good, he’s OK. Maybe after the game, he will feel something, but now he’s good.”
Could Hull Handle An Absence?
Not helping City’s situation one bit is the condition of Liam Millar, who replaced Crooks against Charlton this weekend. However, he lasted just 13 minutes after coming on, with the Canadian’s hamstring forcing him off in place of Darko Gyabi.
It would stretch the forward department further in terms of fit players, and a Crooks absence would be the 4th injury in that area with Millar, Oli McBurnie and Mohammed Belloumi all on the physio’s bench. However, there is still some depth within the squad to manage their losses as players like Joel Ndala have yet to see regular game time.
Hull have just 3 games left before the November international break, playing strugglers Norwich City, Derby County and welcome Portsmouth to the MKM Stadium in their final match.
