Injury blow for Michael Dawson adds to Hull City pre-season woes

Hull City's Michael Dawson (left) is expected to be out injured for the next three months.

The Tigers captain limped out of Tuesday night’s 1-0 friendly win at Mansfield Town on Tuesday night and scans have since revealed medial knee ligament damage.

Dawson will spend the next six weeks in a leg brace and is expected to be out for around three months. He joins Moses Odubajo, Allan McGregor and Alex Bruce on the long-term casualty list, while midfielder duo Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore have added to Bruce’s headaches by being sidelined for up to a fortnight.

Huddlestone is struggling with an ongoing Achilles problem, while Livermore injured his ankle during training ahead of the Mansfield game. Both have been told to rest by the club’s medical staff, leaving the Tigers seriously lacking in numbers with the opening game of the Premier League season at home to champions Leicester City just 23 days away.

INJURY WOE: Hull City manager Steve Bruce. Picture: Barry Coombs/PA.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have confirmed that the potential takeover by American businessman Peter Grieve is on hold until the end of the transfer window, as revealed by The Yorkshire Post last Saturday.

A statement from City said: “To ensure stability during the transfer window, the club can confirm that takeover talks have been placed on hold until the summer window closes.

“Whilst the owners intend to continue discussing a sale to interested parties in September, the priority for the coming weeks is strengthening the squad ahead of the start of the new Premier League season, particularly given the number of injuries sustained to key players during pre-season.”