Jackson Irvine is proving Hull City's surprise 2020 decision to be the wrong one: View | OneFootball

The Australian left the Tigers under a cloud in the summer of 2020

There were plenty of people that were shocked when Jackson Irvine’s departure from Hull City was confirmed in 2020, none less so than the player himself.

Having racked up over 100 matches for the Tigers in his three-year association with the club, the Australian international was told of the club’s decision to let him go during the COVID-19 break, and he never played for the second tier outfit again.

After a stint in Scotland with Hibernian, the midfielder now finds himself playing week in, week out for Bundesliga outfit St Pauli, as well as continuing to flourish for his country.

The decision to let the Socceroos star leave the MKM Stadium has got to be one that haunts City to this day, as he thrives on the biggest stage after moving to the continent.

Jackson Irvine shocked by Hull City departure decision

Irvine had been something of a mainstay during his time at City, which made the decision for the club to move him on all the more difficult to comprehend.

With over a century of appearances to his name, the Tigers could have done with his experience and energy on the pitch as they battled relegation from the second tier, but saw a number of stars depart the club before play resumed later in the year.

The City vice-captain left the club alongside Eric Lichaj, Stephen Kingsley and Marcus Maddison in June, with the Australian voicing his shock at the decision, as the club failed to protect his long-term prospects.

Speaking to The World Game, Irvine said: "I’ve read a lot of things over the past few weeks about negotiations falling through and these types of things, but there really were no negotiations.

"I’m sure there’ll be people out there who’ll draw their own conclusions and still think I should have played on, with or without any kind of security.

"I had a tough call to make: do I play out the rest of the season with no security, or don’t I?

"I asked the club if I played and got badly injured would they then trigger that year (extension), so I’d have a measure of security.

"They said they wouldn’t - so for me the risk was too great and I knew my time at the club was over. To have left in that way is upsetting.

"I made myself available for the games in June up until the end of my contract, but in the end we came to an understanding that that wasn’t going to happen."

Following on from that, Hull won just one of their final nine league matches of the season and were promptly relegated to the third tier, leaving them ruing their decision to let a number of first-team stars leave.

The decision not to view Irvine as a long-term player at the club looks to have come back to bite Hull in the current day, with Irvine going from strength-to-strength in his new environment.

Jackson Irvine thrives in St Pauli role after Hull City departure

After getting back up to full speed with a stint at Hibernian in 2021, Irvine made the move to St Pauli in the summer of that year, and hasn’t looked back since he made the move to the Hamburg-based club.

The Australian has been a leader both on and off the pitch during his time with the German outfit, and led the club to the German second tier title last season while wearing the captain’s armband.

15 goal contributions from his role in midfield last season says all you need to know about the former Hull star’s influence on his teammates, as he led by example to get his side over the line and secure a return to the top flight.

In a race that went right down to the wire against Holstein Kiel, Irvine produced point-winning goals just when his side needed it the most across the campaign, with the only goal of the game against Hansa Rostock in April edging his side ever closer to the finishing line.

Now in the top tier, Irvine continues to prove his worth to his current employers, as they battle to keep themselves in the Bundesliga after fighting so hard to get there.

Meanwhile, Hull can only watch on and ruminate over a short-sighted decision to let the Australian leave the club, with his undoubted quality still being felt at the top level of the game.