It is usually to do with bringing in enough players to cover bases for the remainder of the season before the closure of the winter window.

For Hull City, another reason applies.The Tigers, who were in action at play-off rivals Sunderland on Friday night, are still active in the market and hopeful of further signings to boost a squad hit by injuries of late.

But the end of this month and the start of February will also important for something else.

A major update should arrive by then regarding the fitness of loanee Liam Delap and specifically whether he will feature again in 2023-24.

Delap, signed on a season-long loan from Manchester City last summer, has proved somewhat of a talismanic figure for the Tigers and a hugely influential player this season - scoring seven goals and providing two assists.

Playing in the lone striker role in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Delap's tireless work for the team was also a vital cog in an impressive first half of the season for Liam Rosenior's side.

It culminated in a deserved England under-21 call-up.

Delap picked up a knee injury ahead of the recent FA Cup tie with Birmingham amid fears that he would miss the next three months of the season and potentially be ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

Some more clarity is likely to arrive in a few weeks' time.

Rosenior said: "You always have to plan for the worst and hope for the best.

“I hope for the very best, which is for us to have Liam available for us for the run-in of the season.

"The timescale on that, we’ve still got to wait a couple of weeks for the prognosis from the specialists.

"He is seeing one of the best knee specialists in the world and that’s the time it takes.

"We just have to wait and adapt, like I have to adapt every week in terms of team selection and training when a player goes down injured.

"It’s just part of the game and you have to adapt quickly."

Hull City facing anxious wait before D-Day regarding fitness update on key striker Liam Delap