Ruben Selles has Hull City secret weapon and it will concern Luton Town | OneFootball

Kasey Palmer has had a strong influence of late for the Tigers whilst not being fully fit

Hull City's form of late has given supporters hope that a second relegation to League One in the space of five years can be avoided.

There's no escaping the fact that, for a side which was challenging to break into the play-off picture 12 months ago, the 2024/25 campaign has largely been a disaster until lately, with Ruben Selles starting to see a consistent pattern of results and performances come together.

The Tigers suffered just one defeat in their last seven Championship games heading into the final international break of the season, and whilst other results didn't fall in their favour on Saturday, a 1-1 draw against play-off hopefuls West Brom further echoed the belief among the players, head coach and supporters heading into the season's final month.

And, with City returning to action in yet another relegation six-pointer against Luton Town on March 29th, the Spaniard will hope a recently reintroduced figure can build on his impressive showings of late, despite not being 100 percent fit.

Kasey Palmer has influenced Hull City's past two results

There was plenty of hype surrounding the acquisition of Jamaican international Kasey Palmer back on Deadline Day in August, with the experienced playmaker coming off the back of a successful period with Coventry City.

Despite being recruited by Tim Walter on a three-year-contract, the Chelsea academy graduate was unable to showcase his technical ability and experience at this level under the German, starting just four times and netting his solitary goal for the club thus far, following up his initially saved penalty against Stoke City on September 20th.

Amid a transition in the dugout, Palmer then made four successive appearances and was one of the strongest performers in Selles' first game at the helm - a 1-1 draw with Watford - before succumbing to an ankle issue upon his return to the CBS Arena.

Whilst plenty of change has occurred since then regarding the outlook of Hull's squad since then, Palmer has had a strong influence upon his return to the fold, despite playing just 58 minutes of football since replacing Kyle Joseph in the 84th minute of the 2-0 win over Plymouth on March 4th.

The 13-time international was on hand to set up Joe Gelhardt with his first touch in the comeback victory against Oxford United, before turning provider once again last weekend as fellow summer recruit, Abu Kamara, bundled home his fourth of the season from close range to earn a point in the West Midlands - one which very nearly could have turned to three with the playmaker continuing to be at the beating heart of the Tigers' attacking display in the latter stages.

What will excite Selles and City supporters more, is that there is hope that the best is still to come from the 28-year-old, with the current two-week gap allowing him to continue building up to full match fitness ahead of the showdown with Matt Bloomfield's side.

"He's still not full with match fitness," Selles admitted post-match in B71. "We are still waiting for him to be able to compete (for more) than 30, 45 minutes - it's too early."

"His qualities you cannot doubt," the City boss stated. "He's a player with a lot of experience in the Championship, and the way he's playing for the team is something that we need."

"We need something a little bit unpredictable, or out of shape, he is just able to deliver it."

Kasey Palmer can be utilised as one of Ruben Selles' 'secret weapons' in Hull City run-in

Palmer's record of 40 goal contributions in the Championship further highlight the level of skill and unpredictability which he can bring to a side, and that must continue in Hull's final eight matches of the season.

Undoubtedly, there will be a clamour for the attacking midfielder to start against the Hatters given his recent exploits, but City fans shouldn't be overly concerned if Selles was to utilise his services from the bench once more as a result of the aforementioned key factor.

City's midfield has been a strong point in recent times, with Steven Alzate able to constantly dictate play, whilst fellow Colombian, Gustavo Puerta, has been given licence to drift into more advanced and wide areas, as seen by his goal against Oxford, with the Bayer Leverkusen loanee also returning from a one-match ban for the home clash with the Bedfordshire outfit.

Therefore, Selles is likely to have plenty of selection headaches.

But, after his admission regarding the fact that all players must have a strong contribution, the likelihood is that players who find themselves in a similar predicament to Palmer of late are being viewed as 'finishers', rather than 'substitutes'.

With the chance to build up as much fitness as possible in the meantime, Palmer will hope to start the upcoming encounter, which then presents the Spaniard with a dilemma when it comes to Gelhardt, with the Leeds loanee so effective in the former Coventry man's most natural 'number 10' role of late, although the 22-year-old does have the adaptability to play across the front line.

Hull's position in the Championship is still far from secure as a result of Derby County's recent resurgence, meaning Selles must continue to play his cards right and strike concern into Luton hearts as the 10-time England youth international looks to continue his richest vein of form since moving to East Yorkshire.