Hull City could solve midfield answer with Bayer Leverkusen gem | OneFootball

Gustavo Puerta gave a solid first impression to City supporters

Hull City's inconsistent beginning to the campaign continued on Sunday afternoon at the hands of Sunderland.

As much as the encounter at the MKM Stadium wasn't without its fair share of controversial flashpoints, the Tigers can take some heart from their performance, matching the league leaders for the majority of what was, in truth, a low-key encounter.

In the opening two months of his tenure at the club, Tim Walter hasn't been afraid to ring the changes across his matchday squads - a theme which continued after a large proportion of his squad were involved in a 2-0 friendly success over Corendon Alanyaspor on 11th October.

And, it would be fair to say that after a period of aclimatising to the rigours of English football, Colombian midfielder, Gustavo Puerta, has started his City career by making a notable impression on supporters.

Gustavo Puerta got off to a solid Championship start in Sunderland encounter

Featuring 10 times for Bayer Leverkusen in a season which saw them crowned Bundesliga and DFB Pokal champions as well as UEFA Europa League runners-up to Atalanta in May, showcases the high potential at the South American's disposal.

It could have seemed like a baptism of fire to some, that Walter opted to select Puerta over the likes of Oscar Zambrano and Regan Slater against the Black Cats, who had been free-flowing going forward, whilst boasting a midfield which possesses a vast number of differing skill-sets when looking at the likes of Luke O'Nien, Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Dan Neil.

Hull's key dilemma pre-international break was how exposed the midfield trio of Zambrano and Slater alongside Marvin Mehlem had been in the 4-0 drubbing at Norwich, with a similar pattern playing out in parts of the 3-1 victory at QPR earlier in the month.

With it being his first competitive taste of English football, the 21-year-old's maiden appearance was solid, if not spectacular.

South American central midfielders are often split into varying categories when it comes to being technically gifted or more combative. But, based off the numbers from his maiden display, Puerta proved that in the long run, he could be the long-term solution to those aforementioned problems where City have lacked control and composure in the middle of the park.

Across the first 69 minutes, Puerta registered one key pass which sent Abu Kamara motoring down the left-hand side, and out of the men in Black and Amber, won the fourth-highest amount of overall battles, which included the highest number of successful aerial duels, with two out of four paying off.

Given the time it took the young midfielder to adjust to the demands of Championship football and Walter's unique system, he was one of those among the Hull lineup who emerged with strong credit in the bank alongside Charlie Hughes, who made his first start for the club following his August move from Wigan Athletic.

Therefore, it's hard to see Walter drop the Colombian for the midweek home encounter with Burnley, as Scott Parker's midfield duo of Josh Brownhill and Josh Cullen will once again provide an exceptionally stern test.

Gustavo Puerta agreement could be key in the long term for Hull City

The summer just gone was once again an off-season of mass turnover for all concerned in East Yorkshire, which is something supporters have grown increasingly used to throughout Acun Ilicali's stewardship.

However, as is the case with a number of other loan agreements, Puerta's loan capture from the BayArena in late August also included an option-to-buy at the end of the campaign, providing a potential case of stability that would be welcomed by all concerned with the club.

In the short-term, the 30-time youth international has shown the early hallmarks of a man who could be of great importance to Walter's midfield alongside his compatriot, Steven Alzate.

But, he shouldn't lose any confidence if the 48-year-old in charge continues to stick with a 'horses for courses' approach, although that leaves the German susceptible to criticism regarding consistency and a lack of a cohesive midfield unit.

Overall, if his form is to continue such a steadily positive trajectory and the highlighted clause is triggered in the months to come, Hull will be grateful to the current German champions for landing a potential gem.