Steve Bruce has paid tribute to Isaac Hayden after the former Arsenal man shrugged off a nasty bout of Covid-19 to put in a man of the match display against West Brom.
Hayden revealed after the game that he had been bed-bound by the virus but returned to training earlier this week.
After missing the win at Crystal Palace, Hayden made one clearance after another against a West Brom side who bossed possession for long periods.
Bruce said: "I said to him on Wednesday that my old chief scout Stan Ternent had recommended him back in the day.
"One of the reasons he went to Hull was because of Stan. I remembered it this week.
"But he was one of the poorly ones. Even a fit athlete it knocked him to hell.
"I didn't think we'd have him, to get out of his bed and put in a performance like that was fantastic."
Bruce's side picked up a 2-1 win to put an 11-point buffer between themselves and the bottom three.
Bruce said: "I can't give enough credit to the players and staff - and the medical department.
"The decision to shut the training ground down was spot on."
