HULL CITY HAVE delivered a blow to St Mirren’s prospects of avoiding relegation by bringing Sean McLoughlin back to the club.

In August, McLoughlin left Hull to join St Mirren on a loan deal that was scheduled to expire in January. However, the Scottish Premiership club were keen to extend his stay after the former Ireland U21 international earned glowing reviews for his displays.

McLoughlin has played every minute of their league campaign so far, with the Buddies currently a point above the relegation play-off spot heading into the winter break.

Nevertheless, the left-sided centre-back’s next outing now looks set to be for Hull City, who he joined on a three-year deal from Cork City last summer.

In a press release announcing his departure, St Mirren described McLoughlin as “a key player” for a club who are managed by one-time Ireland international defender Jim Goodwin.

McLoughlin, who turned 23 in November, could be in contention to make his debut for Hull City — who currently sit in 12th place in the Championship — in Saturday’s FA Cup third-round clash with League One side Rotherham United.

After establishing himself as a regular for Cork City in 2018, the Cobh native was named in the PFAI Team of the Year at the end of the season.

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