Hull City will have to round-off title-winning campaign without key man
League One champions Hull City are aiming to sign off for the season in style at Charlton Athletic on Sunday, but will have to do so without one of their most influential players.
Midfielder George Honeyman who was recently voted into the third tier’s 2020-21 team of the season, has been ruled out of the Tigers’ trip to the capital.
The 26-year-old has played through the pain barrier in recent weeks, helping his team overcome Lincoln City and Wigan Athletic to wrap up the title with a game to spare.
But, with the job done, City head coach Grant McCann says that the former Sunderland ace now needs to put his feet up.
“Everyone who played against Wigan is fit, apart from George Honeyman,” the Tigers chief said.
“George has played the last two games with a serious ankle problem, which I’ve touched on before, so we’ve taken the decision to leave George out and get him right for pre-season because we don’t want any lasting effects.
"But, apart from that, the squad is good. It’s an opportunity for someone else to come into the team and we’ve got good options.”
So important has Honeyman been to CIty's success this term, it goes without saying that he will be key to their chances of Championship survival in 2021-22, but McCann moved swiftly to allay any concerns that his player will be missing for any significant period of time.
"He will be fine once pre-season kicks off again," the Northern Irishman added.
“He really should have been out for four to six weeks. He’s got a really serious tendon problem.
"The type of person he is, he’s got through the last couple of games with pain-killers, strapping and injections and we’ve made the decision this week - myself and George - that he doesn’t need to do that anymore.
“We’ve got to where we wanted to get to. He needs to get himself rested up for pre-season."