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Joel Ndala has had a stop-start beginning to his loan spell at the MKM Stadium

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…

Hull City have emerged as surprise contenders for a play-off spot under Sergej Jakirovic, with the Bosnian bringing an air of excitement and enthusiasm back to the MKM Stadium.

The Tigers and their newly-appointed head coach have put an extremely turbulent summer behind them and are firmly in the hunt for a top-six berth, having been one of the most entertaining sides to watch across the opening 15 games of the Championship season.

That is in spite of a heavy EFL restriction which was imposed on the club in July relating to delayed payments from owner, Acun Ilicali, regarding previous loan deals, reportedly those which saw Louie Barry and Finley Burns join from Aston Villa and Manchester City last season under Tim Walter and Ruben Selles.

As such, the club are unable to acquire the services of any individual, be that on a permanent or temporary basis, for a transfer or loan fee until the summer of 2026, which led to many believing the Tigers would be staring relegation to League One in the face.

Jakirovic and a new-look recruitment team have certainly proven such skeptics wrong through 12 shrewd incomings, as well as their on-pitch performances which have led to seven wins from 15 and a current fifth-place position.

Some have debated whether the aforementioned restrictions will be a help or hindrance in order to keep current loanees at the club in the long-term.

However, Football League World's Hull City fan pundit, Cameron Gibson, believes City supporters will have to see a bit more from England Under-20 international, Joel Ndala, before a full cast-iron judgment can be given on this front.

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Indeed, his current loan spell in the second-tier is his third away from Manchester City, with PSV Eindhoven and Nottingham Forest previously not willing to take the gamble on loan-to-buy agreements with the North West side after spells in their own development squads.

Despite not making a senior appearance under Pep Guardiola yet, Ndala has a strong pedigree with the Blues' underage groups, which included 17 goals and eight assists for the Under-18s, before progressing to the Under-21s.

As such, his first senior appearance came for the Tigers on the opening day at Coventry City, and he has since gone on to make nine more, albeit he was sidelined with a foot issue last month.

Goals against Wrexham in the EFL Cup and Derby County have since followed for the youngster, who stated that Jakirovic revealed he had been on his radar for some time.

Despite some rather impressive cameos due to his direct nature, Gibson believes Ndala should be handed more opportunities before his long-term future is discussed.

"He's certainly got a lot of potential, but I don't think we've seen enough of him to really know what his value is," he told FLW. "It all depends on the fee Manchester City are going to ask for.

"If it's £1m or less, then take it. But, if you're willing to spend anything more than £1.5-2m, I don't think the club would rush into a decision," Gibson added.

"We've got him on loan this season. Let's see how he does and how many more goals he can score. He's only a young player, and he's nowhere near his full potential.

"It was a smart bit of business. Ndala was a player who Jakirovic had previously watched for a good 12-18 months before he came to Hull City, so it shows the name he's made for himself in the academy scene," Gibson claimed.

"Jakirovic is aware of young players. He's got a son who's going to play for one of the big European clubs, by the looks of it, after coming through at Dinamo Zagreb, so he's very clued-up on this side of things.

"Let's see how he does in the big block of games between now and January," our fan pundit added.

"If he gets a run of games and can score a couple of more goals, I think that will put him in a good position to get a permanent deal or another loan with Hull City next season."

We have already seen glimmers of Ndala's ability, mainly as a substitute, due to the form of Jakirovic's starting forwards, such as Joe Gelhardt, Kyle Joseph and the currently sidelined Oli McBurnie.

Ndala will also be competing with the duo of Mohamed Belloumi and Liam Millar on the other side of the international break, with the Algerian returning to the bench in Saturday's 3-2 win over Portsmouth, whilst the Canadian isn't expected to be sidelined for a prolonged period after a hamstring issue of his own.

However, the Man City loanee has been a useful weapon in Jakirovic's fluid attack due to his pace and directness, which was exemplified as he turned home his first league goal at Pride Park after a mishap in the Derby defence.

It remains to be seen what will unfold for Ndala, but the experience, coupled with his international exploits, will certainly stand him in good stead.