Hull City midfielder George Boateng has backed the Tigers to cope in the absence of Jimmy Bullard, who picked up a knee injury on Saturday.

The 31-year-old will undergo a scan on Monday evening after limping away from Villa Park in tears having injured his knee in a heavy fall after colliding with James Milner during his side'sl 3-0 defeat.

The former Fulham man has only just returned to action after nine months on the sidelines following a second bout of major surgery on his right knee and he has been instrumental in helping resurrect the club’s fortunes.

There are fears that he could be set for another extended spell out of action, only this time with a serious injury to his left knee, which would be cruel luck on such a popular figure within the game.

Yet, ever the optimist, Boateng believes Hull's recent 3-2 home win over Everton, when Bullard was rested, proves Phil Brown's men have the ability to from the relegation zone.

Boateng told Sky Sports News: "Jimmy has been brilliant for us over the last few weeks since he came back. We've said in the dressing room we mustn't be too negative because we don't know the extent of the injury.

"But we showed against Everton that we are not a one-man team, when we played really well without Jimmy."

The defeat at Aston Villa was their first setback in five games and they currently hold a three-point cushion over the bottom three but it remains to be seen whether they cope without 'Jimmy's' charismatic influence.

It is a far cry from last weekend during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City when Bullard produced the hilarious re-enactment of Phil Brown's unsuccessful half-time dressing down on the pitch last season at Eastlands.

Like everyone in football, Extrafootie would like to wish Jimmy a speedy recovery.