Fresh update emerges on Joe Gelhardt's Hull City future amid Leeds United clause | OneFootball

The forward is set to last the season at the MKM Stadium

Hull City's on-loan forward Joe Gelhardt is set to remain at the MKM Stadium for the entirety of the Championship season as he continues his development away from Premier League newcomers, Leeds United.

That is according to a fresh report from Leeds Live on Wednesday morning, which outlined the plans from Daniel Farke's side despite a recall clause within the deal that was agreed between the two Yorkshire clubs.

Hull have been one of the surprise stories within the early months of the Championship campaign, as they have recently taken advantage of what has been a wide-open division due to inconsistent runs of form by many of their divisional rivals.

However, a six-game unbeaten run of their own was put to bed in frustrating fashion on Tuesday night, as Sergej Jakirovic's side suffered a late 2-1 defeat to an in-form Derby County outfit at Pride Park, with Lars-Jorgen Salvesen hitting the winner seven minutes from time after a defensive mishap by the Tigers.

Gelhardt, unsurprisingly though, remained at the front and centre of most of City's attacking play before he was substituted in place of David Akintola just two minutes before John Eustace's side scored the winner.

The Liverpudlian has remained a big hit with supporters in East Yorkshire after a successful loan spell during the second half of last season under Ruben Selles, during which he scored five times in 20 appearances.

And, after already bettering such a tally after just 14 games, the aforementioned report will be viewed as a major plus point for the Tigers, who will remain somewhat restricted in the upcoming January transfer window.

The 23-year-old returned to HU3 in August, with it being confirmed just hours before the goalless draw at Coventry City which began Jakirovic's reign as head coach.

Gelhardt was one of 12 signings made on free transfers or through loan deals in which no extra fees were to be covered by Hull, as a result of what is now a two-window transfer fee restriction due to previously delayed payments.

It was claimed that a wage hike at Elland Road due to the Whites' Championship-winning season last term proved a sticking point throughout negotiations, although the Tigers were eventually able to land his signature.

After a run of six goals and one assist in his 14 appearances under City's new Bosnian head coach, it has been debated whether the Premier League side would opt to recall the man who has made just 57 appearances for Leeds since moving from Wigan Athletic for £1m in the summer of 2020.

Such rumours have now been quashed, with it being stated that Farke expects Gelhardt to stay in East Yorkshire until the end of the season, having formed strong partnerships with the likes of Kyle Joseph, Oli McBurnie and Matt Crooks in an attacking sense, with Hull rectifying their goalscoring woes of last campaign through a tally of 23 goals thus far.

Gelhardt's versatility has also been a bonus for Jakirovic and his predecessor, Selles, since initially moving to the MKM in January ahead of his first loan stint.

However, the current head coach's fluid system allows the forward to often cause havoc from a right-wing position, able to cut in on his left foot and provide some instinctive finishes, or go around the outside of opposition defenders.

Remarkably, the Tigers have maintained a position of their own on the periphery of the play-off picture after a largely positive run of late, despite the fact a handful of key attackers such as Mohamed Belloumi, Liam Millar and McBurnie have all been sidelined amid an injury crisis of sorts.

There were even doubts over Gelhardt's fitness ahead of Tuesday's defeat before he was able to complete 81 of the 90 minutes.