Hull City midfielder Tom Huddlestone has suggested that he is aiming to continue playing for another year beyond the one-year deal he signed when returning to the Tigers.
Huddlestone had endured a very uncertain period in his career over the last year with the midfielder having spent the entirety of last season without a club following his exit from Derby County.
The 34-year-old was offered the chance to train with Hull during their pre-season campaign to build his fitness as he targeted a route back into football.
However, after impressing during pre-season the midfielder was eventually offered the chance to make a return to Hull on a permanent basis. The 34-year-old put pen to paper on a one-year deal that also includes the option of a further 12 months.
Grant McCann handed the midfielder his first start for the club since re-joining the Tigers in their goalless draw with Bournemouth before the international break.
Speaking to the EFL’s official website, Huddlestone has opened up on his desire to find a new club over the summer and suggested that his aim was to carry on playing for another one or two years at Championship level.
He said: “It’s definitely one of the most exciting leagues in Europe.
“You look at the league table now and you’d maybe say Fulham and West Brom are the two standout teams, and the other 22 places are probably up for grabs.
“In March or April time, I said to myself I wanted another year or two playing, whatever level I had to drop down to, even though I knew I could perform to a good level within the Championship.
“It looked like nothing was going to happen and I had to be proactive in terms of texting the one of the coaches at Hull who I knew from my time before, just to see if there was a possibility to train to improve my fitness and show my qualities.
“I thought I’d be able to gauge after training for two or three weeks whether I could still cut it at Championship level, and whether I still had the enthusiasm and desire. I thought I had and that was confirmed to myself.”
The Verdict
These comments suggests that Huddlestone is very much open to the idea of remaining with Hull for another season following the end of his first campaign back with the Tigers.
The midfielder has already shown that he still has plenty of ability and a lot to offer in and around the dressing room for Hull. While he has clearly already done enough in training for McCann to consider him as a potential starter in big Championship matches this season.
Huddlestone’s experience is going to be vital for Hull this season and his ability to sit in front of the back four and produce some quality distribution in possession is a very good option for them to have within their squad.
Whether Hull decide to keep him for another 12 months after this season will be dependent on how much of an impact he can have for them this term in the Championship.
The early signs have been promising for Huddlestone and if he can remain fit and delivering on the field then there is no reason why they should not take up that extra year option on his deal.