Hull City without Eric Lichaj, Jackson Irvine, Stephen Kingsley, Marcus Maddison and Mallik Wilks for Championship relegation run-in

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Lichaj and Irvine are out of contract on June 30, along with Stephen Kingsley. They and loanee Marcus Maddison have not agreed to stay beyond that, while Barnsley have unexpectedly blocked Wilks from staying longer.

While the winger will feature in Saturday's crucial game at home to Charlton Athletic and the following week's trip to Birmingham City, the Tigers have announced the other four will not play for them again this season.

There is still some wriggle room to be had, with clubs given until next Tuesday (23rd) to reach agreement with their out-of-contract players, but it seems Hull have imposed their own earlier deadline so they can go into the run-in knowing what they have available.

Jon Toral, Kevin Stewart, Dan Batty, Angus MacDonald, Robbie McKenzie and Will Mannion have all signed short-term extensions since the squad emerged from lockdown, while Josh Bowler, Matthew Pennington and Herbie Kane's loans have been extended until the end of July.

Former Leeds defender Lichaj was a key player at the KCOM Stadium, making 64 league starts since joining two years ago, and it looked like the suspension of matches due to the coronavirus pandemic might give him the chance to complete a campaign Hull feared might be over because of injury. Australian midfielder Irvine was handed the armband in his absence.

Irvine made 97 league starts in three years at the club, scoring 10 goals.

Defender Kingsley has been more peripheral this season, making seven Championship starts and a substitute's appearance.

Attacking players Maddison and Wilks joined on loan in January and while the former struggled to impose himself, Leeds United product Wilks scored three goals in nine appearances.

Coach Gerhard Struber made it clear when loaning Wilks out he had no future under him at Barnsley, and he was keen to stay. But by blocking an extension of his loan, the Reds have weakened one of their relegation rivals.

Hull are one place outside the relegation zone, two points above Charlton. With nine games to play, they have a seven-point cushion to bottom-placed Barnsley. Middlesbrough are level on points with Hull, Huddersfield Town one point ahead.

Maddison, who like Wilks has worked with Hull coach Grant McCann before, is out of contract at League One Peterborough United in the summer, and perhaps concluded that the risk of an injury which might stop him finding another club then was too great to take.

All the soon-to-be free agents will be free to agree deals with Hull next season when everyone knows what division they will be in, but whether the Tigers will be keen after this is another matter.

Without five key players for the run-in, their task in staying in the Championship has just got harder.

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