Hull City: Norwich City setback must be ignored with Sunderland selection call - View | OneFootball

Charlie Hughes could be set for his first Hull City start against the Black Cats

The international break has given Hull City an ideal opportunity to reset.

A 4-0 defeat to Norwich City on October 5th proved that, after three successive victories, there were still plenty of flaws within the side which were ruthlessly exposed by the Canaries.

Tim Walter's side had shown glimpses of promise throughout the opening nine games of the Championship campaign, and a current standpoint of 13th in the table would be a fair reflection of how far his new-look side have come in the opening two months of his tenure.

One of the main takeaways from the German's maiden encounters in charge of the Tigers is just how much of an onus is on his defence, even when in possession to move the ball forward, as well as their expectancy to keep play watertight in reverse, which hasn't exactly come off with just one clean sheet to their name.

With that being said, many would believe now is an ideal time for Charlie Hughes to fully step up into the starting XI, regardless of a notable setback on his debut at Carrow Road.

If a call is made where Hughes is handed his full debut for the East Yorkshire side, it would most likely see Sean McLoughlin dropped, after being replaced by the summer signing at half-time prior to the international break.

Those who have cast an eye on Hull's developments so far will have noted that McLoughlin has effectively been a metronome in the system, reflected in a total of 81.9 touches on average across his nine appearances.

However, across those nine appearances, inconsistency, not just from the 27-year-old, but his centre-back partner in Alfie Jones has been evident, albeit a constantly overrun midfield has led to a staggering 70 chances created against City in just the last four games, which is extremely unsustainable.

But, even with a mishap on debut which handed Kaide Gordon the third of Norwich's four strikes, an impressive 45-minute cameo from Hughes alongside the aforementioned Jones in a friendly against Corendon Alanyaspor last Friday showcased the hallmarks of a potentially strong centre-back partnership.

Hull City supporters will be excited by Charlie Hughes' prospects

With a reported £3.5m price tag to his name, there has understandably been plenty of hype surrounding the 21-year-old, previously of interest to the likes of Brentford, West Ham United and Ipswich Town.

Jones and Jacob Greaves formed one of the strongest duos at centre-back across the EFL between 2020 and 2024, before the homegrown talent deservedly earned his Premier League move, and there is a belief that if his form and leadership showcased at Wigan Athletic is translated into a much-more regular stint in the second tier, Hughes can follow suit.

The summer signing's numbers from his final League One campaign with Shaun Maloney's side prove that the defender is more than capable of meeting the demands likely to be placed on him if selected to start against Sunderland on Sunday afternoon, with 79.3 touches across 43 appearances last term.

Of course, the step-up in division provides a different beast, and a potential baptism of fire if thrown in from the start against Regis Le Bris' men, who are the only side to average two goals per game so far in the Championship, whilst also having a plethora of dynamic attacking options at their disposal.

But, coming off the back of a season where 14 clean sheets were accumulated, as well as only being dribbled past 0.2 times per game on average, will give the England youth international and former Latics captain - alongside Walter - the belief that, after looking past a tough opening 45 minutes to his Hull career, Hughes will look to make the left centre-back spot his own for the remaining 36 games.