Hull City has received excellent news from manager Sergej Jakirovic, as he expects two recently injured players to be involved in the upcoming Premier League match against Aston Villa.
According to Jakirovic, both Joe Gelhardt and Matt Crooks returned to training this week and could feature against Villa.
“Since Monday (Joe Gelhardt) has been in full training with the group, so we will see with him and our tactical plan. He is available,” Jakirovic said, as reported by Hull Live. “Matt Crooks is in training, so we will see tomorrow.”
The Tigers host the Villans on Saturday, Sept. 5, at MKM Stadium on Matchday 3 of the 2026-27 Premier League season, with the newly promoted club off to a perfect start with two victories from two matches after defeating Manchester United 2-0 on the opening matchday and Coventry City 1-0 on the second matchday.
Hull City Boss Provides Candid Update on Squad Fitness
The Hull City boss did not want to reveal the names of other players affected in the match against Coventry, but he made it clear there are other injury concerns.
“We have some problems also from the Coventry game, so we will see tomorrow who will be available,” Jakirovic said.
Additionally, when asked about the possible involvement of some of the recent signings they made during their historic summer transfer window, he also did not want to provide any further clues. However, he revealed that most of them will be available. “We will see tomorrow. Mostly, they will be in the team of 20 players,” he said.
Hull City Look to Capitalize on Historic Transfer Window
According to Transfermarkt, Hull City invested €175.65 million ($204.2m) in the summer transfer window following their promotion to the Premier League. The total market value of the players they signed is around €213.55 million ($248.3m).
Among the signings they made are, of course, Nobel Mendy, the 21-year-old Senegalese center-back from Rayo Vallecano, for whom they paid €23.4 million ($27.2m); and Konstantinos Tzolakis, a 23-year-old Greek goalkeeper signed from Olympiacos for €23.3 million ($27m).
They also signed other promising young players, such as Ilyas Ansah, a German center-forward from Union Berlin, for €17 million ($19.7m); and English central midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, 23, from Everton for €15.15 million ($17.6m). Among the team’s last-minute signings is 19-year-old midfielder Christos Mouzakitis, who arrived from Olympiacos for around €15 million ($17.4m).
Mouzakitis was also courted by Manchester United and other major European clubs, according to GiveMeSport reports.
Therefore, after starting the new league season with two victories against Manchester United and Coventry City, Jakirovic’s team will now look to continue its good run against Aston Villa next Saturday. Fans at MKM Stadium will be excited to see some of the recent signings make their debuts, but above all, to continue the path they have been on so far.
Hull City Handed Blunt Update on Injured Players’ Status