Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic confirms Cody Drameh injury blow - but it is softened by return of six players
Team news from the Hull City camp ahead of their meeting with Birmingham City
Hull City defender Cody Drameh will miss the rest of the regular Championship season, manager Sergej Jakirović has confirmed.
Drameh has not missed a game since late February but has succumbed to a quad issue expected to keep him out for around six weeks.
It is a bitter blow for the promotion-chasing Tigers at a key stage of the season, made even more frustrating by Drameh’s versatility.
Cody Drameh injury blow
"Cody's finished for the season,” Jakirović told Hull Live. “It's the end of the season for him, and I hope he will recover good. He's now in medical treatment, and he'll be out for six weeks. I think it's over, and prepare and rest good for the next season.
“Of course, Cody, when he's healthy, there is no doubt, any issues. It's just that he's struggling with injuries as well. Now it's the same quad, just on the opposite side, which is very interesting, but okay, what can we do? Its all season is like this, not just in our club, in all clubs. A lot of games and a lot of intensity, and it's always a problem.
“We are going day-by-day, but the prediction is six weeks, so maybe, maybe, we will see.”
Returning players
The blow has, however, been softened by the return of six players to contention for minutes against Birmingham City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday (April 18). Ryan Giles, Akin Famewo, Yu Hirakawa, Toby Collyer and Lewis Koumas have all recovered from issues, as has long-term absentee Eliot Matazo. The latter has not made an appearance in the Championship in over a year.
Homegrown defender Matty Jacob was involved for the Under-21s in midweek and took a knock to the knee, meaning Giles could be thrown straight in at the deep end against the Blues.
The meeting with Birmingham will come too soon for Tigers stalwart Regan Slater, although he could be back in action against Charlton Athletic on April 25.
Loanee midfielder John Lundstram, meanwhile, will miss out through suspension after being sent off in Hull’s 2-1 defeat to his former club Sheffield United last weekend.
“Players are coming back,” said Jakirović. “Yeah, they are in training, so there is no time for the experiments. We have to use them, so no matter their conditions - 15, 20, 30 minutes, you can always play."