The meteoric rise of Hull City midfielder Sam Clucas continued with a stunning goal against Watford at the weekend.
Sam Clucas in action for Hull City
Sam Clucas has played, and scored, in the National League, League Two, League One, Championship and the Premier League all in five consecutive seasons. It is an incredible rise, and one that shows no signs of grinding to a halt. There were some doubts when the former Chesterfield man joined Hull City in the summer of 2015, and despite netting six goals and playing in all but two of the Tigers league games en route to the Premier League, many doubted his ability to make the step up to England’s top tier.
Now as we approach the final games of the season with Hull City fighting a close relegation battle, there are reports that Clucas is on the cusp of the England squad and in the running for Hull City’s Player of the Year award. Still his form has gone largely unheralded by those outside of East Yorkshire. Whilst the performances of Harry Maguire have received deserved national acclaim, Clucas’ importance has been a far quieter affair.
The 26-year-old scored a wonderful looping half-volley in Hull’s crucial 2-0 win over Watford at the weekend, perhaps his finest moment of the season yet, but only his second goal. Clucas is the first to admit he should have a few more to his name in the Premier League, but his overall performances have left little to complain about. Few players have shown such consistency under both Mike Phelan and Marco Silva as the once capped England ‘C’ team international.
Hull City are much-improved under Marco Silva
Released by Leicester City at the age of 16 for being too small, Clucas now stands at 6″2′, and scored against the Foxes earlier this season. The fact that any young footballer is still being let go because of their height when the best player on the planet measures up at just 5″7′ is absurd, but it is even more absurd if Clucas’ claim to have led the club’s junior scoring charts for four seasons is to be believed.
A well-rounded and versatile player, Clucas played at both left-back and as a striker for Chesterfield, but was most commonly deployed on the left side of midfield by Steve Bruce last season. Hull City’s paper-thin and injury-plagued squad began the season with just 13 fit senior players though, and Clucas made a first appearance as a deep-lying central midfielder.
That role soon became a more box-to-box midfield type, and that is the one Clucas prefers, and is now holding down regularly in the Hull City side. The stats back-up the many strings to Clucas’ bow; he has the most passes of any Hull City player this season, the most tackles and the second most touches. In addition to that, Clucas has covered by far the most ground. In fact, only three players have covered more ground than him in the Premier League this season, with the midfielder running just 1km less than N’Golo Kante and 4km more than James Milner.
| Goals | Total Pass | Total Tackle | Interception | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Clucas | 2 | 1,338 | 78 | 49 | 33 | 2,828 |
Scoring and creating goals are the two areas Clucas will naturally be looking to improve. Two goals and just one assist tells a disappointing story for a player who has been so impressive throughout this campaign. If he can add a touch of guile, creativity and the ability to put the ball in the back of the net more regularly, an England cap could quite possibly be the next accolade in Clucas’ remarkable rise.
Southampton’s Dusan Tadic in action with Hull City’s Sam Clucas
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