Hull City have seen a number of players arrive, make a mark, and then depart whilst on loan. The meteoric rise of the Tigers from the bottom tier of the Football League has reaped success, and none more so in the loan department. Here are five midfielders who starred on loan in black and amber:
Jake Livermore
Livermore signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2013 after being told he would be required to play centre back by then Spurs manager, Andre Villas Boas.
The central midfielder built up an indispensable partnership with former Spurs teammate Tom Huddlestone in a record-breaking season for the Tigers.
An extraordinary run to the FA Cup final, coupled with their highest Premier League finish, saw Livermore become a permanent signing when Bruce opted to shell out 8 million for him in 2014.
Livermore will be remembered in Tigers folklore for being one of the most talented midfielders to have played a starring role in the clubs most successful period.
Harry Wilson
Hull City was cemented in a relegation battle midway through the 17/18 Championship campaign, but in came Harry Wilson on loan from Liverpool who soon eased those relegation worries with his Man of the Match displays.
The silky winger became a fan favourite in his short loan spell and will be remembered for his important goals, with the game against Norwich being his standout performance. Wilson scored the winner, completing a turnaround in a game where Hull found themselves 3-1 down at half time.
Despite only playing 13 games for the Tigers, Wilson netted 7 and assisted 4 times in a productive loan spell that attracted much attention.
In the following season, Premier League clubs weren’t willing to take a chance of him, so he instead joined up with Frank Lampard’s Derby County where he continued to shine. His Premier League chance finally arrived in the shape of Bournemouth this campaign where he has scored 6 in 23 games so far.
Lazar Markovic
Lazar Markovic joined up with Marco Silva midway through the 16/17 Premier League, attempting to revive a career that promised so much.
Markovic joined Hull when he was 22-years-old, a few years after joining Liverpool from Benfica in a reported 20 million pound move where he was touted to become a super-star under Brendan Rodgers.
The Serbian failed to make his mark at Anfield and was instead entrusted with the task of helping the Tigers stay up. Although the battle against relegation was lost, the exciting winger will be remembered fondly for his performances that season.
The exciting, attacking football that was brandished by Silva was a joy to watch for the neutral and Markovic was at the forefront of that.
Markovic was the key to exploiting defences on the counter-attack, a play-style that was well equipped to suit his electrifying pace on the break, with Kamil Grosicki doing a similar job on the left.
Marc Pugh
Marc Pugh made the loan switch from Bournemouth to Hull in January 2019 after being deemed surplus to requirements by Eddie Howe.
The 33-year-old, who can operate down the left or behind the striker, showed his quality in his limited stay at the KCOM Stadium.
Pugh scored three and assisted once in 14 games, whilst becoming an ever-popular figure among Hull supporters. A loan spell that was regarded as a success, called for the board to sign the veteran winger on a free, however, it was Queens Park Rangers who signed him on a short-term contract.
Corry Evans
Another Manchester United loanee who had a successful spell that was made into a permanent deal.
The central midfielder was signed by Nigel Pearson in January 2011 in Hull’s first season back in the Championship. He played an important role in the middle of the park, with club legend Ian Ashbee set to leave the club after a nine-year allegiance.
The youngster’s contribution of 3 goals and 2 assists from central midfield was enough to reward with him a permanent deal in the summer where he featured in 43 of Hull’s 46 Championship games.
Corry Evans was at the heart of a new era at the KCOM Stadium and whilst he wasn’t necessarily a player with bags of ability, the Northern Irish international is highly regarded amongst the other crop of loan players who starred in this period.
