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Teenage defender Cathal McCarthy admits he’s relaxed about where he’ll be playing his football over the forthcoming season. The highly-rated Hull City youngster caught the eye again on Saturday when he stepped in for the stricken Paddy McNair after just four minutes of the Tigers’ 2-0 defeat to German giants Eintracht Frankfurt. It’s likely that McCarthy will be loaned out to the EFL before the transfer window closes on September 1, though that will only happen if the Tigers bring in the defensive reinforcements Sergej Jakirovic is hoping for. Nobel Mendy and Lucas Herrington have both sealed big-money moves to the MKM Stadium, while the Tigers are in the market for at least more defensive-minded performers. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page That would make McCarthy’s chances of playing in the Premier League remote, but he's got a mature outlook about what happens next, and knows that a full season playing in the Football League would be perfect for his development, despite being tantalisingly close to the new Premier League season getting underway. "Well, at the moment, I'm just trying to get minutes in the legs because obviously you don't know what's going to happen in two weeks," McCarthy told Hull Live. "All I need to do is basically stay fit, be fit, be sharp, and if I'm involved in the first game of the season, I'm involved, but look, I could be out on loan. That looks likely as well, and we'll just take it as it comes." McCarthy knows the benefit of going out on loan and playing as many games as possible, and says if that's what happens, he'll grasp the moment. "Absolutely. It's everyone's dream to play in the Premier League, but I'm not too worried about it. If it comes this year and if it comes next year, if I were to wait a few years, that's OK. I know I just need to play. At this age, you just need to play 30 games in a league, just get minutes under the belt. If they send me out loan, I'm more than happy to do that because minutes are important when you're this young." For McCarthy and the rest of City's Wembley heroes, Saturday will be their first game back on the MKM Stadium turf since the play-off semi-final draw with Millwall back in early May. The Tigers bring the curtain down on their pre-season campaign with a game against French Ligue 1 side Nice. After losing 2-0 in Germany to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, the visit of Nice provided another stern test against good-quality opposition. "I know it feels very long," McCarthy said of the time since their last home outing. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing the pitch. I haven't seen it since then (the play-offs), so hopefully now it'll be a nice playing surface, and I'm going to enjoy that game. It's needed." Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.