Lenihan keen to start making up for lost time at Hull City

Brian Lenihan is determined to repay Hull City for their faith and patience in him as he aims to put his injury nightmare behind him.

Lenihan moved to the Tigers from Cork City in August 2014 but repeated setbacks have seen him spend the majority of time on the sidelines.

In November 2014 he moved on loan to then-Championship side Blackpool before picking up a season-ending knee injury shortly afterwards.

(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

A senior Tigers appearance finally arrived in April last year but knee surgery last summer meant a delayed start to the current campaign before complications further tested the 22-year-old’s patience.

Lenihan was finally back in action for the under-23s on Monday night, completing 45 minutes, and he is determined to push on for the rest of the season.

“I felt like a kid at Christmas to be back out there,” he said.

“The medical staff here have gone above and beyond for me and I’ve worked so hard to get back from this knee injury which has caused me the most trouble.

“I feel ready now and I feel strong. I just felt so happy to be out on the pitch again.

“It does feel a little bit like deja vu because I think this is the fourth or fifth time here that this has been my first game back after a long injury, but I know that this time I am right and I need to push on now.

“The aim now is to play in every single game that I possibly can to get minutes under my belt and to train hard with the squad every day.

“Obviously things haven’t gone well for me here so far, but I have learnt a lot and it is all part of a football education. It has been a difficult time and I’m lucky to be back. Now there are a lot of people here that I need to repay by getting back out onto the pitch and I feel physically ready to do that.”