Exiled Scotland hitman beats 5 in-form players to award as red-hot goal tally fires reminder to Steve Clarke
The 29-year-old has been in blistering form in the EFL Championship.
Scotland striker Oli McBurnie’s stunning start for Hull City in the EFL Championship has been rewarded after he was named the league’s player of the month for September.
The 29-year-old striker was in high demand in the summer, with Rangers, Sheffield United, and Celta Vigo all reported to be interested in his services following his departure from La Liga outfit Las Palmas. In the end, he opted to make a move to the Tigers, signing a three-year contract at the MKM Stadium.
McBurnie, who has not played for Steve Clarke’s side since a 4-0 victory against the Faroe Islands almost 1,664 days ago, has enjoyed a fruitful start to his time with Sergej Jakirović’s side, scoring seven goals and assisting a further three in his first 10 games for the English second-tier club.
Playing every minute in September, McBurnie bagged five of his seven goals during the month, netting against former side Swansea City in a 2-2 draw, before scoring once and assisting ex-Rangers midfielder John Lundstram to score during the dominant 3-1 victory over Southampton at the MKM Stadium. Adding to his tally in a 2-1 defeat against Watford, he ended the month by scoring his first brace for the club as Hull came back from two goals down to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw with Preston North End.
The experienced frontman impressed on his debut season in the Spanish top flight for Las Palmas last season, playing alongside Scotland centre-back Scott McKenna, where he provided nine goal contributions. However, the Gran Canaria-based club was powerless to stop either player departing the club in the summer due to a clause in their contract that allowed them to depart for no fee. McBurnie joined Hull, and McKenna signed for Dinamo Zagreb.
The Tigers’ decision to sign the 6ft striker has been immediately rewarded, with his stunning landing him the EFL Championship player of the month gong, beating off a list of players that included former Scotland internationalist Barry Bannan of Sheffield Wednesday, ex-Celtic kid Bosun Lawal of Stoke City, Charlton Athletic’s James Bree, Middlesbrough’s Luke Ayling, and Coventry City’s Bobby Thomas.
Stewart setback
Elsewhere, forgotten Scotland striker Ross Stewart has been dealt another cruel blow in his bid to return to full fitness after being struck down with yet another hamstring injury. The Southampton forward had his first two seasons wrecked by injury issues at St Mary’s, making just two starts for the club due to Achilles and hamstring problems, but appeared to be over his nightmare in recent weeks, scoring his first brace for the last club in last week’s 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
Just days later, though, Stewart was forced off the field 30 minutes into the 1-1 draw with Derby County, and it has now been confirmed that he is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines following the results of initial scans. A report from the DailyEcho claims the 29-year-old’s recovery will “roll into months rather than weeks”, with a further update expected from Saints head coach Will Still in the coming days.
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