Hull striker Jarrod Bowen could be the next teenager to help boss Mike Phelan solve a selection conundrum in Monday's trip to Premier League rivals Middlesbrough.
Dieumerci Mbokani's red card in the midweek EFL Cup penalty shoot-out win against Newcastle has left Adama Diomande as Phelan's only fit senior striker.
Summer signing Michael Keane will play no further part this season after knee surgery and with Abel Hernandez battling to overcome a groin injury, Phelan may consider handing 19-year-old Bowen his full Premier League debut.
Uruguay international Hernandez has missed the last three games and Phelan said: "He's been doing all the pre-conditioning stuff ready to go back into training.
"So there's him and there's Shaun Maloney as well who's now going back out on the grass to do a bit of training.
"It is early. They have been out a while and we need to just monitor the next few days and see what's required and whether they're available."
Bowen, signed by previous boss Steve Bruce from Hereford in July 2014, made his first senior appearance for Hull in the EFL Cup win at Exeter in August and stepped off the bench in the recent Premier League defeats at Watford and Sunderland.
Phelan, who handed teenager Josh Tymon his full Premier League debut in the absence of regular left-back Andy Robertson at Sunderland last month, is not prepared to take a risk on the fitness of Hernandez and Maloney.
"Gamble's not the right word," he said. "If they're fit they're available, if they're not then there's no point in worrying too much about it.
"We may have to shuffle the pack a little bit, but we have got a couple of options.
"I need to sleep on it a little bit more and work out what we want to do. But we have a few days left to do that so that's okay."
Hull, who remain in the bottom three following last week's 1-1 home draw against West Brom, held on doggedly in Tuesday night's cup tie after Newcastle had threatened to overrun them.
Phelan's side were outplayed for large parts, but fighting spirit is in no short supply and after Mbokani's straight red card the Tigers' tenacity was rewarded with a place in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time via a penalty shoot-out.
"Hopefully now that result might galvanise us a bit more," Phelan added. "We're on a little bit of a decent spell and everybody's up for it.
"If you'd have seen the emotion after the game and the hard work they've put in, it was terrific in the dressing room."
Mbokani will start a three-match ban for retaliating after being tackled from behind by Newcastle defender Jamaal Lascelles, but Ryan Mason returns to contention following illness and fellow midfielder Sam Clucas is available after suspension.
Source: PA
