Hull City manager Nigel Adkins has admitted that it’s a ‘strong possibility’ that defender Tommy Elphick will be returning to Aston Villa in January.
The former Bournemouth man is currently on a season long loan with the Tigers, but Villa do have the right to recall him in January and are currently enduring a selection crisis at centre back.
Adkins admits that there is a good chance that his loan deal with the Tigers could be torn up in January, but he is praying that it doesn’t happen.
“It’s a big shame if it is [his last game for Hull] but we’ll have to wait and see,” he told the Hull Daily Mail.
“From my point of view he’s done great for us and his form has probably alerted Aston Villa to the situation because he was out of there. We’re not saying that [it] is going to happen but there’s a strong possibility it could happen. I’d had no contact at all from Villa up to last week but I’ve spoken with Deano [Dean Smith] and there is a possibility.”
OPINION
There it is, straight from the horse’s mouth. Adkins and Smith have been in communication and obviously Elphick is someone they’ve discussed. As Adkins says, it’s a possibility, and with the defensive situation at Villa Park at the moment you’d have to say it’s more likely than not that Elphick will be returning to the club in January. For Smith, why wouldn’t he recall him? The 31-year-old is having a marvellous season at the KCOM Stadium and when someone in that kind of form becomes available to your team you’re going to bring them in. With Axel Tuanzebe out injured and full back James Bree filling in at centre half it’s clear that Villa need some centre back reinforcements next month. In Elphick they have someone that wouldn’t cost them anything and would come in and do a solid job alongside captain James Chester. The experienced duo would likely excel in the second half of the season, and so you’ve got to think that Elphick will be recalled in a matter of days.