Hull City rookies Liam Cooper and Jamie Devitt challenged to 'make a living from the game'
STEVE Bruce has urged Liam Cooper and Jamie Devitt to make the most of every opportunity out on loan as the pair approach a crossroads in their young careers.
Cooper and Devitt became the latest youngsters permitted to leave the KC Stadium yesterday when joining Chesterfield and Rotherham respectively in one-month loan deals.
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Promising: Hull City defender Liam Cooper has gone on loan to Chesterfield.
With Danny East at Northampton, Sonny Bradley at Aldershot and Mark Oxley last week joining Burton Albion, five of the Tigers’ rookies are now on loan in League Two attempting to prove themselves worthy of an extended contract beyond next summer.
Bruce has assured all on-loan players that their progress will be monitored closely, but says the onus is on all of them to win a future in the game during the final year of their deals.
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“Players like Devitt and Cooper are 21 or over now, and if they’re not in and around my squad, they’ve got to go out on loan and get games,” said Bruce.
“I’ve got a list of players with hundreds on there who are out of contract in the summer.
“My job is to make sure that if they’re not going to play in my squad here, they can go out and make a living from the game.
“This way works out for everyone. It allows us to monitor them playing senior football and it helps them get games under their belts.
“We’ll be assessing them to see if they can play in the Championship or League One.
“There’s five of our young ones who are out because I believe that’s the best place for them to learn.
“If you’re not banging on my first-team door at 21, then you’ve got to get out and play.”
As well as the departures of Devitt and Cooper yesterday, City’s training ground has also missed Joe Dudgeon this week.
The 21-year-old underwent knee surgery in London on Wednesday and will miss up to nine months of action.
Matty Fryatt was due to work on his Achilles injury for one last time today, but he has resigned himself to a similar spell on the sidelines.
Bruce has sympathy for both and said: “It’s gone as well it could have gone for Joe but it’s a long road back now.
“Like Matty Fryatt, he’ll have to be strong. Thankfully, both of them are just that.
“People look at footballers and think their lives are a bed of roses, but those two lads are going to have a hard six months.
“The one thing about their two injuries is they’re not straightforward. They’re tough injuries.
“They have to be mentally strong but both Dudge and Matty are strong characters.”
Comments
by SteveB1234567
Friday, November 02 2012, 2:18PM
“I'm a little disappointed Cooper hasn't gone to a team at a higher level than the 4th division, but I suppose the main thing is he needs to be playing week-in, week-out.”