Football

Lucas Herrington became Australia’s most expensive footballer when he joined Premier League side Hull City on Thursday — at only 18 years old.

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The $32.5 million fee paid by Hull to the central defender’s former club Colorado Rapids is significantly more than the $25m handed over by Leicester City to snare Harry Soutter.

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Will Herrington start for the Tigers in their season-opening Premier League match against Manchester United on August 22?

The Sporting News takes a deep dive into Hull City’s squad and tactics to analyse how Herrington can fit in.

MORE: Socceroos prodigy Lucas Herrington set for record Premier League move

When will Lucas Herrington make his Hull City debut?

Herrington could play minutes for Hull City as soon as Saturday — in the club’s final pre-season friendly against Nice.

It’s hard to see him starting Hull’s Premier League opener against Man Utd — which comes just nine days after he signed with the club.

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It is not out of the realms of possibility that he impresses in coach Sergej Jakirovic in Hull’s friendly, but surely it will be too much for an 18-year-old to make his Premier League debut so soon against a big club.

It’s more likely that Herrington is bedded in to the Hull City set-up and either starts or comes off the bench against Stoke City in the League Cup on August 25.

Competition for Hull City central defensive positions

As mentioned in the section below, Hull City appear to be preparing for the Premier League season with a formation featuring three central defenders.

There appears to be strong competition for these positions with Charlie Hughes, John Egan and Semi Ajayi starting last season’s playoff win against Middlesbrough — with all three still at the club.

Interestingly, Hughes, 22, was one of Hull’s best players last season, excelling at left centre-half — which is where Herrington played for the Socceroos at the World Cup.

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Egan has played in three Premier League campaigns for Sheffield United, while Ajayi has also played in the top flight previously with West Bromwich Albion.

Hull have also signed 21-year-old Senegal defender Nobel Mendy, while former Man Utd centre-half Paddy McNair is also on the books.

Herrington is going to have to work his way in front of players who have played in the Premier League before, and also has to deal with the issue of Hughes playing in his favoured position.

What formation will Hull City play in the Premier League?

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Intriguingly, Hull City played four at the back with two central defenders for most of last season, but switched to a back five with three central defenders and wing backs for the Championship’s promotion playoffs — where they ultimately secured their place in the Premier League.

In pre-season so far, they have mainly used three central defenders — which is good news for Herrington as he excelled for Australia at the World Cup in a similar formation.

The Tigers have a plethora of defensive options, so the more central defenders selected, the better chance Herrington has of getting game time.

Speed of Herrington transfer is telling

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It was first reported Herrington was set to join Hull City on August 2 — 11 days ago and almost three weeks before the start of the season.

If Hull’s manager Jakirovic was desperate for Herrington to play significant minutes early in the season, the transfer would have likely been pushed through quicker.

Herrington is expected to join training right away with Hull’s final pre-season match scheduled for Saturday against Ligue 1’s Nice.

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