Hull City defender Ryan Giles gives brutally honest assessment of his early season struggles
Hull City’s first summer signing has struggled to pin down a starting spot so far this term
Ryan Giles says he’s determined to show Tim Walter he’s worthy of a place in his Hull City starting XI after admitting he’s not yet reached his own high standards.
Giles was one of City’s biggest summer transfer arrivals when he saw his loan move from Luton Town made permanent in a deal worth around £4m. But the attack-minded full-back has failed to pin down a regular spot in Walter’s team so far, starting just five of the Tigers’ opening nine games.
Many expected the former Wolves defender to be a mainstay of Walter’s attacking line-up, but after a slow start to the campaign, the 24-year-old has been relegated to the bench.
In recent weeks, Giles has found himself behind Cody Drameh on the left side of defence, and he says it’s up to him to knuckle down and perform in training, or when he’s given a chance off the bench, to impress Walter and regain his spot in the starting XI.
“I think I can help the team, of course I can,” Giles told Hull Live. “Listen, I’m not the finished article; of course I’m not. There are obviously things I can improve on in every aspect of the game, but I’ve come here to play, and that’s what I want to do.
“I can improve, and the first five games I played (were not as good as he would have liked), I won’t shy away and hide from that. I can definitely improve and make more of an impact, but I’m still learning on the job with the gaffer’s system like everybody else is.”
