Jordy De Wijs still 'happy' at Hull City and in contention for FA Cup re-call
With Reece Burke set to miss Sunday's FA Cup second-round trip to Stevenage as he awaits nose surgery, there is an opening at the heart of the Tigers' defence for a man who was until recently one of the first names on the team-sheet.
Apppointed City captain at the back end of 2019/20, 25-year-old De Wijs began the current campaign in decent form, helping the club to five consecutive clean-sheets as they made a strong start to life back in League One.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe has subsequently fallen down the pecking order, however, and has not featured since the 2-1 defeat at Swindon Town at the end of October.
Indeed, the former PSV Eindhoven centre-back hasn't even made the match-day squad for Hull's last three games, though McCann insists that De Wijs is pushing for a re-call.
"Jordy's been training really well. He's good, he's good as gold. I had a good chat with him today in my office," City's head coach said in his Friday press conference.
"He's obviously a little bit frustrated, like some of the other players are, that he's not in the team but he doesn't show that in training. He just gets on with it, he's a good professional
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"He understands that the form of [Jacob} Greaves has been really good, and that's the competition for places that we've got."
De Wijs was strongly liked with a move away the KCOM Stadium in the summer, though despite an MLS club being credited with serious interest, no transfer materialised.
Asked whether the Dutchman is eyeing a January switch to pastures new, McCann replied:
"Not that he's mentioned to me.
"He's got this year plus another one after this with the club's option. He's happy, he's just knuckling down and trying to get his head around training.
"Like everyone else, he's hoping to get in the team."
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSean McLoughlin and Alfie Jones are also contenders for a place in City's back-line at Stevenage, while McCann confirmed that winger Keane Lewis-Potter is available to play again following a spell in self-isolation.
Midfielder Greg Docherty will however miss out with a minor muscle strain.
"It's no concern, Greg is fine. He could easily be available for Sunday but we don't want to take any unnecessary risks , it's a little thigh strain he's got, nothing serious when he's had the scan.
"It'll just be a matter of days really. So we've just left him with the physios and he'll stay with them tomorrow just to get his high-speed running up and some distance into his legs.
"We'll look to have Doc re-join the group on Monday."
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.