The 17-year-old Hull City full-back has recently been linked with Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Josh Tymon became the youngest man to play for Hull City in almost two decades when he made his debut as a 16-year-old in the FA Cup against Bury last season. His performance was described by then manager Steve Bruce as “first class”, and the former Manchester United defender told the media that the club and coaching staff, “think the world of him.”
Many Hull City fans believe it speaks volumes of the way in which the club is run that almost a year on, the starlet is still on a youth contract and is yet to have agreed professional terms. There are few, if any, teams in the country who would allow such a scenario to arise with a player of Tymon’s potential on their hands, and recent media reports have suggested the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton could be more than happy to capitalise on the Tigers mismanagement by taking him from the KCOM Stadium for a nominal fee.
Whilst some of England’s biggest clubs have been linked with the youngster, few of their supporters will have any idea who the Hull-born full-back is. Tymon is now 17, having made his Hull City debut in January of this year. The left-sided defender has thus far made 4 appearances in black and amber for the Hull City first team, as well as donning the white of England 3 times, representing the Three Lions under-17’s.
Hull City youngster Josh Tymon
For a long time now the England youth international has played with a maturity and physicality beyond his years. He was a regular for Hull’s under-18’s at the age of just 15, and a regular for the under-21’s at 16, the same age that he made his Hull City debut. Bruce described the youngster as being physically “very advanced” for a player of his age, when handing him his first start against Bury.
Tymon has since started games for the Tigers against Arsenal, Exeter and Bristol City, all coming in either the FA or the EFL Cup. Both Bruce and Phelan have been reluctant to give the 17-year-old a run out in a league game, despite much encouragement to do so from supporters, who enjoy nothing more than seeing ‘one of their own’ representing the first team.
This weekend presents an excellent opportunity to Mike Phelan to do just that. Injury to Andy Robertson recently forced Phelan into playing Sam Clucas first as a left-back and then as a left wing-back, but is a role more naturally suited to the young Tymon, and one which would allow Clucas to move back into the middle of the park where he excelled at the start of the season.
First choice left-back Andy Robertson is currently sidelined
Tymon is a naturally attacking full-back anyway, who maximises his physical attributes by getting up and down the flank. The defensive security of playing a little further forward as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 could well be the protection Tymon needs in a first league start against a quality side like Southampton, yet most suspect Phelan will stick with shoe-horning Clucas into that role.
The likes of Tottenham and Liverpool’s persistent links with Tymon appear to have substance, or at least someone’s does, with Mike Phelan suggesting last week that there had been interest in the player, and stating that, “The club has to do their work to tie up good players on contracts and I think they’re trying to do that with Josh.”
One can hardly blame Spurs, Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal if they are taking a look at Tymon, it is not often that you get the opportunity to sign such an excellent prospect for what would be essentially a nominal fee. It is one of a myriad of mistakes made at Hull City, and yet, despite the club having become something of circus, Josh Tymon may be best advised to remain at the KCOM Stadium.
It is important to remember that he is still only 17, and his chances of getting first team football at Liverpool, Tottenham or virtually any other top flight team are slim to none. The Tigers skeleton squad could well work to his advantage in terms of his development, especially if Mike Phelan is brave enough to start handing him opportunities in the league this season.
Hull City’s Vice Chairman Ehab Allam
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