Hull City are weighing up a change to their transfer strategy in the closing days of the winter window after Semi Ajayi was ruled out with injury.
The Nigerian defender is expected to be sidelined for around seven weeks after picking up a hamstring problem during the Africa Cup of Nations third place playoff on Saturday. The setback is a significant blow for the Tigers, who climbed to fourth in the Championship on Tuesday night following an impressive 3 0 win away to play off rivals Preston North End.
Semi Ajayi had already missed seven matches while on international duty as Nigeria reached the semi finals in Morocco. He is now unlikely to return until March after suffering another hamstring issue.
Hull currently have John Egan, Charlie Hughes and Akin Famewo as their senior centre backs, with teenage defender Cathal McCarthy also able to slot into the back line. Despite those options, head coach Sergej Jakirovic is now assessing whether to bring in defensive cover before the window shuts.
The main challenge for City is squad size. Any new arrival to replace Ajayi would require a player to leave first, which complicates matters further. Jakirovic is therefore carefully considering his options as the final days of the window approach.
One departure has already been confirmed, with Kasey Palmer completing a move to League One side Luton Town after undergoing a medical in Bedfordshire. However, his exit does not create the space needed to add a new defender, meaning another player would still have to leave for Hull to strengthen at the back.
Hull are also close to wrapping up two more signings. The club is set to confirm the arrival of Toby Collyer from Manchester United, while a deal to bring Kieran Dowell from Rangers to the MKM Stadium has been agreed. Dowell is believed to be in East Yorkshire to complete his move, which is expected to be finalised within the next 48 hours.
So far this window, City have already added Japan international winger Yu Hirakawa to their squad. He made an immediate impact on his debut by setting up Oli McBurnie for the third goal in the victory at Deepdale.
