Liverpool loanee Herbie Kane has produced two moments of magic in the space of six days as he followed up one stunning free-kick goal with another for Hull City.
It has been a tough time on loan at Hull for Kane, who joined the Tigers on a half-season deal in January only to suffer an ankle ligament injury the following month.
By then, he had made six appearances for Grant McCann’s side, building on his two outings for Liverpool in the League Cup earlier in the season—including an impressive display in defeat at Aston Villa.
But the campaign’s three-month break proved a stroke of luck for the 21-year-old, who returned to fitness and the starting frame at the KC.
After playing the full 90 minutes on his return, Kane started and scored in Saturday’s 3-3 draw away to Birmingham City, bending a free-kick in on the way to a potentially vital point for Hull.
And now, with the Tigers sealing a dramatic late 2-1 victory at home to Middlesbrough, the midfielder has replicated the feat, and quite possibly even improved on it.
With Mallik Wilks brought down on the right-hand side of the penalty area, Kane stepped up to curl a brilliant free-kick around the wall and into the top corner, leaving no chance for Boro ‘keeper Dejan Stojanovic.
Hull went on to seal the three points through a stoppage-time winner from Wilks, with Kane having already cancelled out Britt Assombalonga’s opener.
Unfortunately for the Liverpool loanee, however, another injury blow forced him off with just 28 minutes on the clock, and McCann will be hoping it is nothing serious as he is swiftly becoming a key man.
Kane signed a new contract with the Reds at the end of 2018, but it seems unlikely he will return on a long-term basis at the end of his time with Hull.
Instead, the next transfer window could herald a permanent move for a player who has spent the majority of the past two seasons on loan in the lower divisions, proving himself with a step up from League One to the Championship this time around.
There may be no option to stay at Hull, however, regardless of whether they beat the drop, with the Tigers facing financial issues in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
It could be that this affects a high percentage of sides in the Football League when it comes to transfers, but the hope is Kane is able to find the right club and hone his vast talents in a settled environment.
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