The winger is hoping to make his long-awaited return next month
Hull City will tread carefully with injury-hit winger Dogukan Sinik as he steps up his return from his latest setback as he looks to reignite his stuttering MKM Stadium career.
The Turkish international has endured a disastrous two years since joining City in a £4m deal from Antalyaspor in the summer of 2022. He has managed just 13 games in that period totalling just 367 minutes of Championship action, whilst also heading out on various loans in a bid to play games.
Sinik went to Germany earlier this summer in a bid to get fit ahead of pre-season with the Tigers but was hit by more injury trouble which hampered his hopes of starting with the rest of the playing squad under new boss Tim Walter.
After getting the all-clear from his latest MRI last week, Sinik is set to return to first team training but Walter says the medical staff are determined to operate with some caution in a bid to avoid further problems, despite Sinik’s desperation to get back involved in first team affairs and make his mark at City.
While Walter was understandably keen to avoid setting out any firm timescales given Sinik’s wretched record in East Yorkshire, the German did suggest the 25-year-old could be back in first team contention in the next four to five weeks, providing there are no further setbacks.
He went three months without playing, so we have to be patient with him,” Walter told Hull Live. “It’s really important for himself to be absolutely fit and ready to step into the first team again. “We won’t make the same mistake again.
“He has to be more patient and then maybe in four or five weeks, he’s back, and then we will see. I don’t know (specifically when he will come back). At the moment you have to wait because every day is different. Maybe one day it’s better, but then he has to calm down a bit because his body says no, it’s too fast, so he has to be patient.”
Naturally, for a player coming to a new country, it can be difficult to settle, but factor in when you’re injured consistently and cannot play with supporters becoming increasingly frustrated. it can have a negative impact on the mental state of a player, but Walter says Sinik looks in a good place.
“I don’t know how it was in the past because I was not over here, but now he looks quite comfortable,” said Walter. “He’s open-minded and we tried to speak every time he’s in.
“He looks good and we have to help him because it’s not an easy situation for him and it’s my job and the club’s to help him.”
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