Hull City trio Fin Burns, Charlie Hughes and Kasey Palmer are all expected to step up their recovery from injury this week in a bid to bolster Ruben Selles’ ranks for the club’s battle to avoid the drop.
It’s expected that the three players will all return to training at different stages this week after lengthy lay-offs, and though Saturday’s visit to promotion-chasing Sunderland may come too soon, with a busy schedule to come over the next couple of weeks, the news will be a welcome boost to City’s hopes of moving away from the drop zone.
After the trip to the Stadium of Light, the Tigers play their crucial game in hand at fellow strugglers Cardiff City next Tuesday night, before a clear week prior to the re-arranged visit of Plymouth Argyle on March 4 and then travel to play-off contenders Bristol City.
Those four games in the space of two weeks are followed up by a home meeting with Oxford United and then a trip to West Brom to round off the run of fixtures prior to the final international break of the season, and having a near-fully fit squad will be a big help for the run-in.
Attacking midfielder, Palmer hasn’t played in the last 11 Championship games as well as missing the FA Cup exit at the hands of Doncaster Rovers after hurting his ankle in the defeat at former club Coventry City on December 14, while Hughes’ hamstring problem has seen him sidelined since the win over Swansea City the following weekend.
Burns’ absence has not been as lengthy as Hughes and Palmer, but he has sat out the last three games, having come off early in the second half of the 3-0 win at Sheffield United last month.
