Since the injury that ended his Sheffield United career in September 2023, John Egan has only started two professional football matches, yet he feels like he is coming to Hull City a better player.

For the last few months the 32-year-old Republic of Ireland international has had a close-up view of one of the most remarkable defensive set-ups in European football.

Football being what it is, Egan could make his Hull debut at Burnley on Wednesday.

Known for their idealistic football under Vincent Kompany, the Clarets could scarcely be more different under Scott Parker. They have conceded just nine goals in 31 Championship matches this season, and none since the FA Cup tie at Reading, six games ago on January 11.

Ready to go: Former Sheffield United defender John Egan was a deadline day signing for Hull City who is ready to be unleashed on his debut this week at Burnley.

placeholder image — Ready to go: Former Sheffield United defender John Egan was a deadline day signing for Hull City who is ready to be unleashed on his debut this week at Burnley.

The temptation is to paint Egan as a victim of it, unable to break the central defensive partnership of CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve, but he sees it very differently, an experience which has improved him.

"Definitely," he says.

"When a team is going so well defensively, you can't really say much, you just try to help and that was the good thing – everyone on the bench was rooting for the lads starting.

"I was delighted the two centre-halves were keeping clean sheets and doing so well.

CLARET: John Egan (right) spent the first half of the season at Burnley (Image: Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

"The record is incredible. I was part of the squad for the first half of the season. The manager is a really high-level coach and he drilled the lads really well.

"It was an easy team to play for.

"They're having a fantastic season keeping clean sheets but I'm a Hull City player now and it's mad in football, it can quickly switch. The focus is on us getting a positive result."

He has a lot of time for Parker, who declared himself “gutted” when Egan moved to East Yorkshire on deadline day last week.

TIGER: Centre-back John Egan has joined Hull City in the winter transfer window (Image courtesy of Hull City)

"He's an incredible human being, a really top manager, I really enjoyed working with him," says Egan. "I'll always look back on my time at Burnley, even thought it was short, as very sweet."

Burnley rescued Egan at a low point in his professional life.

He impressed in his first spell in the Premier League with Sheffield United – the team finished ninth in their first top-flight season – and by the time they returned to the division in 2023-24, he was club captain.

But after seven matches a calf injury which ended his season and, with his contract up in the summer, his Bramall Lane career too.

END POINT: John Egan suffered a season-ending injury with Sheffield United in September 2023 (Image: Harriet Lander/Getty Images)

"I'd played pretty much every game for five-and-a-bit years up to that so getting injured was a really tough one to take," says Egan.

"But it's part of football. You just have to do your rehab properly and get back as soon as you can.

"It's been a while since I played regularly so it's up to me to work as hard as I can to get into the team and stay in the team.

"I want to keep improving and work as hard as I can to make myself better every day."

Having been a Blade since 2016, it became a question of what next.

"I kind of knew from the operation that the season was done for me," he admits, despite Wilder's occasional optimistic hints that Egan might just make the final few games. "I managed to get back a couple of weeks before the end of the season and was in with the team doing warm-ups and stuff but my whole summer was spent in Sheffield working with the S&C (strength and conditioning) guys so I was ready for pre-season.

"The rehab went really well, to be fair, bang on the timeline.

"I went in with Burnley, trained and signed a contract. The manager really helped me get back on my feet.

"I was in for three or four weeks' training, signed, and I was in pretty much every squad since then.

"They could have looked at my injury and thought otherwise but they believed in me. I didn't miss a day training there and was in every squad so the body's feeling good.

"But here I am now trying to force my way into the team and keep the jersey."

That will be trickier than it was even a few weeks ago with the side picking up form – albeit mainly away from home – under new coach Ruben Selles. Their last win was a stunning 3-0 at Bramall Lane.

"I watched it and Hull were brilliant, to be fair," recalls Egan. "Not many people probably saw it coming from the outside.

"You remember things like that when the call comes but Hull City are a club I've kept my eye on because I'm good friends with a few people who have played for Hull. They've had nothing but good things to say about them."

Lewie Coyle and mid-season signing Lincoln are back in training, though Turf Moor will come too soon for the Brazilian. Cody Drameh is a doubt with a knee injury.

On Monday Abdulkadir Omur joined the long list of overseas players to dip in and out of the club under Acun Ilicali with little impact on the way.

Signed last February for £2m from Trabzonspor, the forward made 23 Championship starts without scoring, and has been loaned to Caykur Rizespor for the rest of the season.