The Tigers’ first summer signing opens up on his loan move from the Etihad Stadium

Liam Delap believes he will arrive at Hull City better for the tough experiences he faced in the Championship last season.

The Manchester City loanee had two separate loan spells at Stoke City and Preston, playing 36 times across the two clubs, but managed just four goals.

Delap’s arrival at the bet365 Stadium was seen as a significant coup for the Potters with the youngster rated as one of the brightest young attacking talents in English football.

After scoring three in 23 appearances in Staffordshire, Delap was recalled by City and then sent back out to Deepdale, scoring once in six starts and nine appearances off the bench, in what proved to be a difficult campaign, but now he’s looking forward and keen to put the frustrations of last term well behind him.

Tigers boss Liam Rosenior moved quickly to snap up the 20-year-old, making him the first signing of the summer before the squad flew out to Istanbul for their pre-season training camp, and he’s impressed in during the nine-day

“Yes, one hundred per cent,” Delap explained when asked by Hull Live about his experience of playing regularly in the second-tier last season.

“It was my first full proper season playing men’s football and as a young player, you learn a lot when you learn a lot when you’re on the ropes a little bit.

“At times it was hard, and in those hard times, you learn a lot, a lot more than when you’re playing well.

“Preparing for this season, already off the back of last season, I’ve learned so much, and hopefully, I can use that experience and knowledge of understanding what the league’s about and be more ready this season.”

Delap was part of England’s Under-20 squad which lost on penalties to Italy at the World Cup earlier this summer, and says it was after that exit in the round of 16 in Argentina, he was made aware of Rosenior’s desire to bring him to the MKM Stadium.

“I had the Under-20 World Cup straight after the season finished so I focussed on that, and didn’t really hear anything from anywhere else,” explains the frontman.

“When I got back from the World Cup, I heard Hull were interested, I spoke to them over the phone and then came up to visit the training ground and spoke to everyone around the club. Everything from there happened so quickly, I had a medical and then was training.”

The City boss has already spoken of how impressed he’s been with Delap’s start to life at City, with encouraging signs both in training and in the two friendly games against Galatasaray and Hatayspor.

Delap admits he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from his new colleagues thus far, ahead of their return to England for the final run-in to the season opener at Norwich City.

“I think the way the gaffer sets us up, we are going to have a lot of the ball, and the way we’ve started in pre-season, the boys have bought into that and we’re flying with it,” he continued. “Hopefully, by the time the season comes, everyone’s in shape and knows what they have to do.