Watanni sha takwas da suka wuce, John Egan yana gwagwarmaya don samun mintuna kaɗan a kan benci a Burnley — dan wasa mai shekaru 31 wanda yake a gefan klabu da take fafutukar tashi daga Championship. A yau, shi ɗan wasa na farko ne a Hull City a Premier League, kuma labarinsa ɗaya ne daga cikin mafi ban sha'awa a wannan kakar.

Daga gadon asibiti zuwa farkon ƙungiya

Juyin da ya kusan kawo ƙarshen komai ya faru a watan Satumba 2023, lokacin da Egan — a lokacin kyaftin ɗin Sheffield United — aka ɗauke shi fita da gadon asibiti a wasan da West Ham United bayan ya ji rauni mai tsanani a jijiyar Achilles. Rauni ya tsare shi kusan watanni goma, kuma lokacin da ya dawo, kulob ɗin ya yanke shawarar kada ta sabunta kwantiraginsa, inda ya bar dan wasan ya sake gina aikinsa yana da shekaru 32.

Ya je gwaji a Burnley da West Ham United kafin Scott Parker ya ba shi kwantiragi na shekara ɗaya a Turf Moor. Sai dai fara sauri na Burnley a Championship ya ƙuntata Egan zuwa bayyanar guda bakwai kawai. A watan Janairu 2024, maimakon ci gaba da zaune a benci yayin ɗaukar matsayi mafi girma, ya zaɓi ƙaura zuwa Hull City — ƙungiyar da take gwagwarmayar tsira — wani shawara da ya canza komai.

Canja wurin zuwa Hull City da ya canza komai

Egan ya sanya hannu kan kwantiragi na wata goma sha takwas a Hull City kuma aka tura shi kai tsaye cikin ƙungiyar, inda ya kammala mintuna 90 gaba ɗaya a karon farko cikin fiye da shekara — abin ban mamaki, a kan Burnley, a rashin nasara da 2-0 a watan Fabrairu. Ya ci gaba da yin bayyanar 10 ƙari yayin da Tigers suka tsira ta bambancin kwallaye a ranar ƙarshe ta kakar.

Bayan isowar manajan Sergej Jakirovic a kakar mai zuwa, Egan ya zama ginshiƙi ga canji na Hull City. Ya buga sau 48 yayin da Tigers suka shiga play-offs, sannan suka doke Middlesborough a wasan karshe don dawo Premier League a karon farko tun 2017.

A wannan kakar, Egan ya ci gaba daga inda ya tsaya. Ya yi tsare-tsare 18 a nasara ta farko da 2-0 a kan Manchester United, kuma tun daga lokacin ya taimaka Hull City rikewa raga tsabta a kan Coventry da Aston Villa, lashe maki ɗaya a Stamford Bridge a kan Chelsea, kafin su sha kaye a kusa da Newcastle United. Dan wasan mai shekaru 33 a yanzu ya sanya hannu kan sabon kwantiragi na shekaru biyu a farkon wannan wata — alama bayyananniya daga dan wasa da kulob ɗin.

Dawowar zuwa ƙasashen waje da taga Kofin Duniya

Tashin Egan a matakin kulob ya miƙa zuwa fagen ƙasa da ƙasa. Bayan shekaru biyu ba tare da kiransa ba, ya dawo cikin jerin 'yan wasan Republic of Ireland a watan Oktoba, inda ya samu kofin sa na 38 a matsayin ɗan wasa farko a wasan sada zumunta na 0-0 a kan North Macedonia a watan Mayu.

Gasar wurin tsaro na tsakiya a ƙarƙashin Heimir Hallgrimsson ta ƙara ƙarfafa, inda Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea, da Jake O'Brien duk suka fi shi gaba. Amma yanayi ya buɗe ƙofa: Collins yana wajen wasa saboda rauni, O'Brien ya buga wasanni uku kawai wa Everton, kuma an sanya O'Shea a waje da matsayinsa a matsayin beken dama na Ipswich Town.

Da Hallgrimsson yana son tsarin tsaro na tsakiya uku, ƙwarewar Egan da kyakkyawan yanayin sa suna sa shi ya zama gasar gaske don fara wasan Nations League a kan Kosovo a Pristina. Jadawalin da ya cika da wasanni — wasanni biyu a kan Isra'ila da ɗaya a kan Austria cikin kwanaki goma sha biyu — yana tabbatar masa da lokacin wasa ko bai fara ba.

Ga dan wasa da ya taɓa tsammanin kwanakin sa a babban gasar sun ƙare, labarin Egan shaida ne ta juriya a fuskar cikas — kuma har yanzu bai ƙare ba.