Tim Walter lays down 'good challenge' to Hull City trio after summer rebuild

Hull City boss Tim Walter has laid down the gauntlet to his three frontline goalkeepers as they look to battle it out for the number one shirt.

Ivor Pandur has had the shirt in the opening five games of the season but is under pressure from summer signings Anthony Racioppi and Carl Rushworth.

Racioppi played in the Carabao Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday just a few days after he arrived from Young Boys in Bern. He was on the bench again on Friday night with City beaten by the Owls' bitter Steel City rivals Sheffield United with Rushworth missing with a slight knock, though he's expected to recover in time to travel to Stoke on Friday.

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Rushworth was a surprise deadline-day arrival on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion and has more Championship experience than both Pandur and Racioppi combined after playing all 46 games for Swansea City last term.

Walter can also call upon youngsters Thimothee Lo-Tutala - who signed a new deal last week - and Harvey Cartwright, if needed, once they both recover from injury, while Owen Foster has stepped up from the Under-21s to provide additional cover.

"That's top because they can challenge each other and that will bring especially Ivor to the next level and that's good because Carl is pushing him, Anthony is pushing him - the young players, unfortunately, are a bit injured, but they will come back and they have a high potential," the German told Hull Live.

"I'm really happy about Timmy (Lo-Tutala) that he signed a new contract. He's such a good, such a good boy, and he's always loving, he's always happy, and that brings a good mentality also in our club, so I'm happy to have really brilliant keepers - and also, Harvey (Cartwright), really brilliant keepers and it's a good challenge between them and the best one will play."

Naturally, when you've got a bucket load of options, especially in goal, it can be hard to keep players happy when they're not playing games. But Walter says that task isn't just down to him, but will also fall on goalkeeping coach Erbil Bozkurt, who replaced Barry Richardson during the summer.

When asked how he would be able to keep them all happy, Walter added: "Oh, I have a goalkeeper coach and he has to do it as well, but it's a long season, and everybody will get the time to play one hundred per cent I am sure."