Hull's hopes of having Jimmy Bullard back in action in time for the Everton game have taken a knock after he missed a friendly.
Having played and scored in the reserves win in midweek, the record signing was expected to have another run out in the friendly in Ireland on Friday night.
Instead Bullard did not travel with the rest of the squad and his fitness will be assessed after a friendly against Doncaster in midweek.
Tigers boss Phil Brown remains positive that Bullard will soon be back on the pitch but having been out since early December the club are anxious not to rush him.
Brown told the Hull Daily Mail: "The hard work behind the scenes to get a player fit can often go unnoticed, but playing his first game in public, you could see that Jimmy was in good shape.
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It was testimony to the hard work that Jimmy has put in and to the hard work of all of our medical staff.
"The first steps after a lengthy lay-off are invariably are psychological, but the initial vibes I had from Jim after the game were very positive.
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He's just looking forward to getting out there and giving the lads a hand on the field of play.
He's desperate to help the players and the club in the situation that we find ourselves in."