Derby County v Hull City: Slutsky wants youthful Tigers to defy the odds

The Republic of Ireland midfielder took to Twitter to poke fun at team-mate Kamil Grosicki, who, as he made clear earlier this week when talking to the Polish media, had been expecting to depart the KCOM Stadium following relegation from the Premier League.

In response to Grosicki tweeting a cryptic ‘45 mins....’ as the clock ticked down towards the window’s closure, Meyler was straight on to the social media site to reply, ‘45 minutes for what? You’re not going anywhere Turbo – go to bed’.

For Slutsky, Meyler’s light-hearted jibe at Grosicki was the perfect tonic at the end of a summer that had brought a host of big name departures, including two – Tom Huddlestone and Curtis Davies – who are likely to be in opposition tonight when City take on Derby County in front of the live Sky cameras.

“The best joke came from David Meyler,” said Slutsky when asked by The Yorkshire Post if Grosicki missing out on a move away could lead to having to contend with a disaffected player.

“He said, ‘You stay here please and prepare for the next match’. I liked that. It showed we have a really good atmosphere in the team. These jokes are normal and it is the best relationship between players and coaches.”

Meyler’s tweet wasn’t the only thing that gave Slutsky cause to smile come the closing of the window with several late arrivals also ensuring what had been a difficult summer ended on a high.

The Russian may not have been able to entice north Leicester City’s Ahmed Musa, who only rejected the overtures of his former boss at CSKA Moscow at noon on August 31.

But Jackson Irvine and Nouha Dicko did arrive in the final few days for a combined £5.6m, while defender Fikayo Tomoro also joined on loan from Chelsea.

This trio of late signings took the tally of new arrivals to 11 in a summer that saw the likes of Harry Maguire, Sam Clucas, Andrew Robertson and Ahmed Elmohamady depart along with Davies and Huddlestone.

Asked yesterday about the latter’s departure for £2m, Slutsky said: “It was the first serious hit for me when Huddlestone left the club. He is a good player, very clever with good technique and I was really very disappointed when he left the club.”

These comings and goings over the summer means there is a very different look to the squad Slutsky takes to the East Midlands tonight than the one he inherited in June. Asked if the resources at his disposal are as strong as what he had hoped would be the case when succeeding Marco Silva, Slutsky replied: “Very difficult (to say) because I thought a little bit about other players and I thought my team would be more experienced.

“That is important in the Championship. Now we have a younger team then I predicted but that doesn’t matter. Maybe younger players have extra motivation.

“My feeling is that we have a really good squad but we will understand more when all players start to play. Then I will know how they adapt to my requirements.

“But I do think it is a very good, strong, interesting team. A lot of Chelsea players, plus players from Liverpool, Arsenal and young players. Maybe we can break stereotypes about the Championship and how a team has to have experienced players to be successful in this league.”

Markus Henriksen returns from injury tonight, while Fraizer Campbell, Evandro and Ondrej Mazuch are also in contention as City look to build on the 4-0 hammering of Bolton Wanderers in their last outing a fortnight ago.

Grosicki played a leading role in that romp, the Pole creating the first two goals before scoring the third to underline why Slutsky feels the £7m signing from Rennes can be such a central figure in any push for promotion.

For his part, Grosicki this week made clear his surprise at still being at Hull amid interest from West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Fiorentina. “I am disappointed that my agents didn’t do what they promised me,” he said to the Polish media while away on international duty.

Slutsky, however, insists the Tigers received no offers for the 29-year-old. “He thought he might have offer from another club but really it is true there was zero offers,” added the Russian, who saw tonight’s opponents lose 3-1 at Sheffield United before the international break.

“But that means he now has serious motivation. He is a key player for Poland national team and in October they have two very important matches He dreams of playing in the World Cup and it is very important he play with a club.”

Last six games: Derby County DLWWWL, Hull City DWLLLW.

Referee: D Bond (Lancashire).

Last time: Derby County 0 Hull City 3; May 14, 2016; Championship play-offs.