What will Jakirovic bring to the Tigers next season?

IT WON'T BE DULL WITH SERGEJ IN CHARGE

- By BARRY COOPER

Sergej Jakirovic had a hearing yesterday as he looks to secure the necessary approval to be granted permission to work in the UK, ahead of taking over at Hull City.

After spending half a season in Turkish football with Keyserispor, the Bosnian boss will arrive at the MKM tasked with turning City from Championship strugglers to contenders in the next few months.

The Tigers will be the latest stop on a managerial journey that has taken Jakirovic from Croatia to Turkey, via Slovenia and now, he arrives in England for his first taste of football on these shores in his career as a player or manager.

But what can we expect from the 48-year-old who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina? The Mail spoke to Croatian football expert Izak Sucic, reporter at Germanijak.hr, to get the lowdown.

What's his background?

"He's a big name; somebody who is always involved in the media in Croatia, because there are a lot of stories about him. He was a decent player. He played in the first league and he played as a defensive midfielder. He wasn't like a playmaker, but he was more a (N'Golo) Kante type, even though he's a bigger dude. He was good at the tackles, jumping and stuff like that. He was a ball-winning defensive midfielder.

"He played for a lot of clubs in Croatia, and the best story is that when he played for a club that doesn't exist anymore. It's called NK Kamen Ingrad from Velika. They played in the UEFA Cup against Schalke (in 2003, losing 1-0).

"That was a club formed in a village that has around 500 people there, and they played in the UEFA Cup, and when you're from Croatia, it's a big, big thing to do something like that.

How about his first steps in management?