Ruben Selles, Reading FC factor should help Hull City seal Leeds United deal | OneFootball

Gelhardt could unlock his talent under Selles, who has a proven track record with young talent

It's no surprise that, as one of the Championship's lowest-scoring sides, Hull City boss Ruben Selles is looking to bolster his attacking armoury ahead of the final 20 league outings.

Prior to Saturday's 3-3 draw with league leaders Leeds United, the Tigers' were the lowest of the low in the aforementioned metric, but have now slightly boosted their average to 0.96 goals per game, courtesy of Abu Kamara's double and Joao Pedro's fifth of the season since joining in September.

However, a fresh report from Hull Live has stated that a man who was sat on the opposition bench at the MKM Stadium on Saturday, in the form of 22-year-old Whites striker, Joe Gelhardt - is keen on moving from West to East Yorkshire, as City are said to be fronting the queue of sides for his signature, with the likes of QPR - as exclusively revealed by FLW last month - Portsmouth, Cardiff City and Derby Countyalso linked with a temporary swoop.

Given Gelhardt's struggles for consistent minutes at Elland Road since moving from Wigan Athletic in 2020 - which included a contract extension in 2022 - in Selles, Hull possess a manager who knows how to get the best out of young talent, proven by his spell at Reading, which would be a huge boost to the Tigers' prospects of striking an agreement.

Ruben Selles factor could be crucial in Hull City striking Leeds United agreement

Due to the continuous backdrop of financial uncertainty at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, Selles' main routes to galvanising the cash-strapped and embargoed Royals was to utilise free transfers - including the highly-rated Charlie Savage and Tyler Bindon - and the club's Category A academy system.

This saw the Berkshire side have the second-lowest average age in League One last term with a figure of 23.5, which has dropped to 22.7 in the opening 24 games of this campaign, with Selles taking charge of 17 of those prior to his departure.

Although several players occupied a variety of roles under Selles, the emergence of Bindon at centre-back proved to be a revelation as the 19-year-old came runner-up in the Royals' Player of the Season awards in his maiden professional campaign, before it was exclusively revealed by FLW last month that the New Zealand international was of interest to Hull and other second tier sides.

Femi Azeez was given the freedom to express his qualities out wide with 17 goal contributions last term prior to his departure to Millwall, Savage accumulated 10 of his 12 goal contributions for the club from a deep-lying midfield role before Selles' switch to the MKM, whilst 21-year-old Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan caught the eye on several occasions for his flair and goal threat, although the Nigerian would suffer a long-term injury in November.

Joe Gelhardt's potential predicament if Hull City agree loan switch

Whilst many would argue that Hull have looked to the future with prior signings such as the aforementioned Kamara, Mason Burstow and Charlie Hughes, and, therefore, there is a case that more experience is needed, Selles' track record with young players is something which could sway the striker's thought process.

At times, injuries have stunted his development in LS11, but despite talk of numerous temporary exits, none have materialised since an 18-game stint with Sunderland two seasons ago, as the Liverpudlian's three goals and three assists aided the Black Cats' run into the play-offs in their first season back at this level.

Despite making 35 of his 57 appearances for United in the Premier League, largely as a substitute, Gelhardt has found himself even further down the pecking order since Daniel Farke and Joel Piroe's arrival last summer, making just two league starts in 12 appearances since the beginning of the 2023/24 season.

Regardless, Farke has continuously sung the praises of the striker, stating in October that “He’s a really top-class human being and he’s a quality player."

Gelhardt will certainly look to prove why he should be gaining more minutes instead of the German's preference to utilise Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford.

And, if a potential switch to the Tigers goes to plan, the former Wigan youth product will definitely give his current employers a decision to make with two years left on his contract - although, that could be influenced by Leeds' own fortunes between now and May.

Hull fans are also no strangers to the England youth international, who bagged his first senior goal at the MKM with a stunning finish for the Latics in September 2019, at the tender age of just 17.