Hull City will be without key midfielder Jon Toral ahead of the visit of West Brom at the weekend after he suffered a twisted knee in the last game.

The Tigers face a tough test on Saturday as they host table-topping West Brom at the KCOM Stadium, with the hosts knowing a win could see them move level on points with sixth-placed Bristol City.

Going into this game, Jon Toral and Hull have been in strong form lately. Since Toral’s return to the starting 11 in attacking midfield, the Tigers have won three on the bounce against Nottingham Forest, Derby, and Fulham.

In his last four appearances, Toral has registered three assists and has been a key part to Hull’s resurgence and push towards the play-off places of late.

In Hull’s last game, Toral was part of the side that dismantled Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage but was withdrawn from the game in the second half after twisting his knee. The extent of the injury is not yet certain with the club awaiting results on a scan, meaning they will not have a full diagnosis until after the weekend.

Hull’s manager, Grant McCann, has had his say to the official site on the matter, expressing his disappointment at the setback: “It’s disappointing for us and frustrating for Jon because he’s been in good form, but it is what it is.

“He’ll miss the weekend and we’ll see how he is after that. He’s had a scan and we’ll take it from there. In terms of the extent of it, we probably won’t know until after the weekend.”

The Verdict

Toral’s injury is a big setback for the side as they look for a positive result against West Brom, but they will have to cope with playing an alternative option for this weekend at the least.

Regardless of his absence, Hull will have to be on top form to get past a West Brom side that has only tasted defeat once this season, and looking like a very strong contender for automatic promotion, while Hull could be an outsider for the play-offs.