Jakirovic Flags Hull City Midfield Problems Before Norwich City

Hull City go into their final game of the Championship season with Sergej Jakirovic saying the midfield is stretched thin. Eliot Matazo has been lost to another ACL injury, and the Hull boss said the latest setback leaves him with limited options before Norwich City.

Matazo’s latest setback

Matazo is in London and will have surgery next Tuesday or Wednesday, Jakirovic said. The midfielder had only recently returned from a previous ACL injury, and he had trained with the team for almost four weeks before Jakirovic made the call to start him. “He trained with us for almost four weeks. Everything was okay. My decision was that it’s better to start in the game because if something happens like now, of course not ACL, but hamstring, quad, groin, we can replace or split the minutes with Regan Slater,” Jakirovic said.

He also rejected the idea that the player was rushed back. “Unfortunately, I saw in the public that there are a lot of questions because (they think) we rushed with him. This is not true, so we spoke with him all the time, with the medical staff.” The injury has left Hull without one of the midfielders they were hoping to lean on for the run-in.

Hull’s midfield shortage

Jakirovic said the wider problem goes beyond one player. “That was the main issue. We have problems in the midfield line because of Amir (Hadžiahmetović) and Toby Collyer’s injuries.” Darko Gyabi has returned after 12 weeks off the pitch, but the Hull boss said that still leaves the squad short of bodies in that area.

“Darko Gyabi has also come back after 12 weeks off the pitch, so if somebody doesn’t know, we have a lot of problems with midfield players,” he said. Hull’s options are tighter now because the injuries have hit at the same time the team needs a result from its last league match.

Norwich and Wrexham

Hull sit level on points with Wrexham going into the final game against Norwich City, and Wrexham occupy the final play-off spot. That leaves Hull needing to manage one more match with a midfield group missing Hadžiahmetović, Collyer and Matazo, while Gyabi is only just back after his long layoff.

Jakirovic put the focus on making the best call available for the squad. “We always try to do the best, make the best decision for the team that can help the team. Unfortunately, it’s his right knee, it’s very unhappy for me, but of course, life goes on, and we will do everything to help Eliott come back even stronger.”