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Despite being League One's top scorer, FLW's Hull City fan pundit doesn't think bringing him back to the MKM Stadium is the best idea

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Mason Burstow has been one of the standout performers in League One so far this season, and it's come as a surprise to most.

After disappointing Championship spells at Sunderland and Hull City, the 22-year-old has seemingly found his feet in League One on loan at Bolton Wanderers from the Tigers, where he is currently the third tier's top scorer with seven goals in 12 outings.

It can be easy to get carried away with loan performances during the first half of the season, but a recall could serve to damage the progression of a young star who had settled at his new club.

Take Louie Barry, for example, who last year was the best-performing player in League One at Stockport County during the first few months of the season, but endured a tough time at Hull in the second half of the campaign, albeit being injured for the majority of that time.

Cameron Gibson, FLW's Hull fan pundit, is cautious when analysing Burstow's red-hot start to the 2025/26 campaign, and feels that he should remain at Bolton, not only to continue that progression in League One, but also to ensure that the current crop of players at the MKM Stadium get the game time they need, too.

Hull City warned against recalling Mason Burstow from Bolton Wanderers

Initially, Gibson highlighted that, sometimes, there can be a big gulf in class between the second and the third tier. Whilst some strikers can cope with that jump, some don't, and the Tigers' fan pundit is wary that the 22-year-old still might not 100% be Championship-ready.

"In my opinion, at this stage it isn't necessary to call him back from his loan," he said.

"It's really obvious that there's a big gap in standards between League One and the Championship. When we won League One in 2021, Malik Wilks scored 19, and you can't repeat that formula in the Championship.

"Scoring seven so far in League One is amazing, but that doesn't mean you're ready for the Championship. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Additionally, Gibson feels that the current crop of widemen at the club means that it'd be difficult for Burstow to get a look in. The 22-year-old has started every game for Bolton thus far in League One, so it'd make sense to continue that, rather than recall him to be a body on the bench.

"If you look at Hull's current players in his position, we've got Liam Millar returning, so it'll be tough to get in on that left side when he's fully fit," he added.

"And Joel Ndala is coming back from his injury, who we loaned from Manchester City, so if we brought Burstow back, it could reduce his game time, which isn't what he was loaned to us to do.

"Plus, Sergej Jakirovic does really like Ndala, and he's looked at getting him even before he came to Hull."

Keeping Mason Burstow at Bolton Wanderers is the most logical solution this season

Gibson doesn't believe that Burstow can make any inroads in the wide areas at Hull, but even if the 22-year-old was to come back and play as the central striker, as he has been doing for Bolton so far this season, there's even less of a chance of dislodging Olli McBurnie from the line-up, as he's netted six times in the opening nine games in the Championship.

The Trotters would hope that they can keep hold of their main attacking option for the rest of this season, as ensuring that he stays around will keep their hopes of landing a play-off place in League One alive.

Evidently, all signs point to Burstow continuing his fine form at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. A full season of growth could put the 22-year-old in good standing to move on for a decent fee next summer.

Or it could also see the former Chelsea youth product stake a claim for a regular position in the Hull squad, and an already dangerous frontline under Sergej Jakirovic could be improved even further.