Arsenal loanee Chuba Akpom was forced to miss his potential debut appearance for the England U21 team this week with knee tendonitis. The injury, which forced him to miss Hull City’s clash with Rochdale this past weekend, does not appear to be serious, and the decision to skip the England call was seen as largely precautionary, as Hull City manager Steve Bruce explained.
We have to be careful with it.
He’s had it a little while now so we don’t want to aggravate it. It was in everyone’s best interests not to go away with England in the end. This was the ideal time to let it settle down.
It’s going to be a big test for him in the next couple of weeks but we’ll just have to keep a close eye on him.
The Tigers have an important match this weekend against early Championship leaders Brighton, and would like to have Akpom at the ready. The 19-year old has made a significant impact in the six games since his arrival at the KC Stadium, scoring once in the league and once in the League Cup competition. Steve Bruce has been effusive in his praise of the Arsenal man and believes that, with work, he can become a powerful force in English football.
Hull currently sit second in the Championship and take on league leaders Brighton at the American Express Community Stadium this Saturday at 15:00 local time.
