Hull City have been hit with a midfield injury blow as Tim Iroegbunam is expected to miss most of October with a groin problem. The setback puts the 23-year-old's availability for the key home match against his former club Everton on 11 October in serious doubt.
The issue is a re-aggravation of a pre-existing injury that nearly scuppered his summer move from Everton in mid-August. Iroegbunam suffered the latest setback after coming off the bench at half-time in the 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United earlier this month. Manager Sergej Jakirovic confirmed the player is now a major doubt for the Everton fixture and may even require surgery to fully resolve the issue.
Iroegbunam's absence is a significant loss for a Hull side that has started the season with strong form, sitting eighth in the standings with eight points from five games. The team's recent momentum, including scoring 8 goals in that period, will be tested without a player who was seen as a key addition. His absence is a major concern for the club's squad depth in a busy period.
Squad depth tested
The injury news compounds Jakirovic's selection headaches. Fellow summer signing Hidemasa Morita arrived at the MKM Stadium with a calf injury and is still working his way to full fitness. Up front, striker Elias Ansah, another new arrival, is dealing with a back injury. Ansah is set to see a specialist in about ten days, with his return timeline unclear; it could be as soon as two weeks or as long as two months. Fans can track all the latest fitness issues on our dedicated injuries page.
With Ansah sidelined, the attacking burden will fall on Mohamed-Ali Cho, Robinho Vaz and Joe Gelhardt. Cho scored Hull's consolation goal in that defeat at St James' Park, his first for the club.
Hull returned to training this week following the international break and will host a behind-closed-doors friendly against Sheffield United at the MKM Stadium on Friday. The reverse fixture at Goodison Park is scheduled for 8 May on the penultimate weekend of the season.
First reported at Hull Live
