How George Honeyman has brought refreshing and timely boost for Hull City

Some poor defending aside, the Tigers were impressive at the Hawthorns, matching their title-chasing hosts for long periods and creating more than enough chances to win a match that they eventually went on to lose 4-2.

Perhaps the most encouraging display came from George Honeyman, who enjoyed arguably his best game in a City shirt since signing from Sunderland last summer.

Deployed in an advanced midfield role, the 25-year-old provided plenty of energy, looked good in possession and worried the Baggies time after time with some dangerous set-piece deliveries.

The former Black Cats captain has played most of his football from the substitutes’ bench this term, however his performance in the Black Country hinted that he could still yet develop into a key figure for Hull.

“I thought he was excellent,” head coach Grant McCann said of Honeyman’s display.

“We needed that, we needed that bit of energy. Obviously, we’ve had to make two changes and freshen the midfield up a little bit.

“Honeyman – what you see is what you get. He works so hard, he wears his heart on his sleeve and I was really pleased with his performance.”

Honeyman’s opportunity against West Brom came about due to the unavailability of Liverpool-loanee Herbie Kane.

The 21-year-old will head back to his parent club after it was discovered that the hamstring he sustained in last week’s win over Middlesbrough is actually more severe than first thought.

Scans have shown that the midfielder has torn a tendon in his hamstring, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign.

But McCann, who also signed Kane on loan at previous club Doncaster Rovers, has already seen enough to convince him that the Reds prospect is a player whom he’d like to bring back to the KCOM next term.

“We’d love to have him back with us next season,” the Hull chief revealed.

“There’s no point hiding that. He’s everything that we need and everything that I like in a player – with his energy and bravery.

“He can score goals and he’s calm on the ball as well.

“We’d love to keep him here next year – and possibly longer if we could.”

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