Hull City: How Oli McBurnie's nous and experience is helping develop Tigers team-mate Kyle Joseph

Scotland are apparently too blessed with top-quality strikers to need Leeds-born McBurnie at the World Cup but his 17 league goals and seven assists have been vital for the Tigers since he joined on a free transfer from Las Palmas in the summer.

As a fellow centre-forward, it is his coolness in front of goal which impresses Joseph most, and which he most wants to learn from.

"There's a calmness to him, and I really admire that," says the 24 year-old.

"That's something I always try and take from his game and put it into mine.

"He's a really good one to learn off playing with him on the pitch – how he plays, the way he battles, the way he wins duels, all his tools and stuff like that.

"I know that I can add that to my game to improve me.

"It's massive for a striker to have that composure, that calmness through the game.

"When a game is hectic and frantic, if you've got someone like that on the pitch who is just ice cold in front of goal, you're going to be in a good place nine times out of 10.

"Oli's top notch in the positions that he takes up on the pitch.

"He'll always get the praise for scoring goals, but I think a lot of time he doesn't get the praise for the ones that he creates.

"Seven assists for a striker, I think that's a brilliant return."

Joseph has two roles in the Hull squad. When McBurnie is injured or suspended, he is next in line to play centre-forward, but the rest of the time he is competing for a place on the wings. It has allowed him to do plenty of learning on the field, but he loves how much help his team-mates give him on the training ground too.

"In football everyone's competing with each other and to an extent that's right but then, to another extent, it's about helping each other," he says.

"If you're not playing, you've got to do your job properly to help prepare the team that are playing.

"(Assistant coach) Dean Holden often says we're like sparring partners.

"You've got to make sure you're on it, to help your mate when he's playing.

"It just raises the level of training and stuff like that.

"It's such a massive difference compared to last season, how competitive it is, and that just comes from the experienced players, your leaders in the team, who are driving it.

"I think that's been a massive change, a big positive change this season.

"It's been a good learning season for me.

"I know where I need to improve. I know what I can do to get better.

"When you're in those situations, that's where you're learning, but it's just little stuff here and there.

"It's looking at different parts of Oli's game and how he adapts to the game situations, and then how I can use that to improve because of our similar qualities and characters."