Sheffield United v Hull City: Tigers in a 'false position' insists Joe Gelhardt

The on-loan forward scored on his first Tigers start on Tuesday, but it was not the first game he has been involved in at one of his favourite grounds in 2025.

Gelhardt was an unused Leeds substitute in the 3-3 draw in East Yorkshire on January 4, and impressed by a team who were then and are again in the Championship relegation zone.

"I think it's a false position," he said ahead of Friday's game at Sheffield United. "When I saw the game against Leeds from the bench I saw how good Hull were and we were saying, 'How are they in the bottom three? It doesn't make any sense.'

"I had a conversation with (Leeds manager Daniel Farke) just before January. As a footballer you want to play games and I told him I'd like to go out and play if I'm not in his plans.

"With the players we have in our squad, any game at home we fancy ourselves. It should be a feisty game and as a player that's the type of game you thrive on."

Gelhardt goes into it in better shape physically having come off the bench at Millwall, then played 90 minutes in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers, but mentally too having scored a brilliant goal.

"The first one's usually the hardest and after that goes in you play with confidence,” he said.

"My first professional goal was here, I was saying it's my lucky stadium. I always seem to score there.

"(On Tuesday) I got a second wind in the second half. Once they scored I didn't really think about the tiredness, I was just wanting to help the team try to get back into the game."

Thursday was another busy transfer-market day for Hull with Brazilian playmaker Lincoln arriving on loan from Fenerbahce, and left-back Ryan Giles joining Middlesbrough for a second loan. Lincoln signed in time to face the Blades, but it may not be that simple.

"He is not match-fit," warned Selles. "He has not been training with a team basically since the moment I arrived at this club (in early December).”

With Ryan Longman set to join Wrexham, Hull are expected to try to replace him and Giles, and complete the £1.8m signing of Eliot Matazo.

Ex-Leeds defender Charlie Taylor, now at Southampton, is thought to be the No 1 target at left-back.

Lewie Coyle is still out but Abu Kamara is “fully fit”.