Hull City’s Abel Hernandez could be set for a lonely summer as he’s been left out of Uruguay’s 26-man squad for the World Cup. A pick-me-up could be on the horizon, with Leeds United heavily linked with the out-of-contract striker, who would add some much-needed firepower to Paul Heckingbottom’s promotion aspirations.

The United strikers struggled to find the net consistently this season, with winger-turned-striker Kemar Roofe topping the club scoring charts with eleven goals. Pierre-Michel Lasogga also reached double figures with ten, but he has since returned to parent club Hamburg and could feature in their fight for an immediate return to the Bundesliga.

This leaves Paul Heckingbottom short on attacking options, as Roofe won’t be able to single-handedly fire Leeds to promotion. Hence securing a proven Championship striker like Hernandez on a free seems like a no-brainer. The closeness of Hull to Elland Road should work in Leeds United’s favour should he decide to make the short journey along the M62.

The 27-year-old joined the Tigers in summer 2014 for £10 million, on the back of an impressive Serie A campaign for Palermo. Hernandez struggled to match this form in the Premier League, registering just four goals as Hull were relegated to the Championship.

It was England’s second tier where he found his footing and the Uruguayan helped himself to 20 league goals as Hull bounced straight back up, a feat that will have Leeds fans praying he can recreate. Another tame Premier League campaign in 2016/17 saw Hernandez only match his 2014/15 tally and he found himself back in the Championship.

This season was hampered by a knee injury, but he still managed to notch 8 league goals in just 10 appearances, averaging a goal every 86 minutes. Five vital goals in Hull’s Championship survival since his March comeback proved too little, too late to fire himself into Uruguay’s summer plans, who have opted for a La Liga trio of Luis Suarez, Maxi Gomez and Cristhian Stuani, as well as PSG’s Edison Cavani.

Hernandez might find himself hard done by, as 11 international goals in 29 appearances shouldn’t be taken lightly. Despite his omission, Uruguay remain odds-on to start their campaign with a victory over Egypt in the current World Cup betting odds.

Hull manager Nigel Adkins revealed in his final press conference that Hernandez has been offered “one hell of a contract” but the opportunity to lead the Whites’ charge for Premier League football should be enough to convince him to made the switch.

Paul Heckingbottom and co would demonstrate serious intent for next season if they could finalise a deal for Hernandez. A proven Championship hitman could attract further signings to Elland Road and it would provide a major boost for the Leeds faithful after a dreary 13th place finish.