Millwall v Hull City: Cyrus Christie on learning the lessons his body and his coach Liam Rosenior have taught him

But you are never to old to learn, with the defender having done plenty of that over the last few months.

He has learnt about managing his body better after struggling to return at full pelt from a knee operation and now he is learning to do a different job for the Tigers.

Christie's last season ended with a knee injury in February and despite coming off the bench for the opening game of this one, it feels like it is only now properly up and running. Just as well, with a fractured eye socket keeping Lewie Coyle out of Saturday's Championship trip to Millwall and maybe more besides.

"I felt like I was in a good place and I was playing well," says a man currently frozen out of the Republic of Ireland squad. "I'd done my knee a month before that and carried on playing, pushing through.

"Mentally it was tough. In the summer I didn't have a break, I spent the whole time pushing myself to get back. Maybe I pushed myself a bit too hard."

It is a lesson to be shared, with Ozan Tufan recently aggravating a thigh problem in his desperation to get back on the field.

"You want to push yourself to come back as early as possible," says Christie. "No one wants to be injured. I'd done my knee before and the rehab was so smooth I ended up coming back in advance without any issues.

"This time rehab went well in the summer, I pushed myself and it was fine. It was just that the loads (put on the knee in games) became a bit too much. My knee was still getting used to a new environment.

"(The surgeons) had to take out the cartilage so a lot of it was bone on bone. My bone was chipped so they had to shave a few things down and it was a bit more damaged than we thought at first. It was just getting the body back to how it was.

"I should have managed it better myself but you want to be out there, you want to prove yourself and train every day. You want to be able to push yourself to the limit.

"Sometimes in football we maybe don't use our brains too much in that sense because you want to play. That's what we came here to do."

Christie's brain has been worked hard by coach Liam Rosenior. Last season he was largely used as a flying right-back, more like the wing-back job he did for Swansea, often as high up the field as the centre-forward when Hull had possession so the right winger could more or less become a second striker.

With the arrival of Jaden Philogene, a genuine winger whose form earned a first England Under-21 call-up on Friday, his job has changed.

"The way the game's evolving there are a lot more different tactics and the way full-backs play now you have Brighton and Man City where they are coming in (to central midfield) or one's dropping in as a third centre-half, or they're pushing higher and wider to allow wingers to come in," says Christie. "It's good to have different plans, very enjoyable.

"I know there are a few nervy moments and sometimes you hear it from the fans when they get a bit scared but we've got full confidence in ourselves. It's not always going to come off but when it does it's great and it causes teams problems.

"A few of our goals have been scored by going over the top and being a bit more direct but if we don't play out from the back, those opportunities don't open up for us."

Everyone, it seems, has something to learn at Hull City.

Jason Lokilo returns to the squad but a late decision will be made on Allahyar Sayyadmanesh.