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Encouraging debuts assessed as Hull City face renewed transfer focus Attention now turns to Saturday's season opener against the Red Devils Hull City brought the curtain down on their pre-season campaign with a 0-0 draw against French Ligue 1 side Nice on Saturday at the MKM Stadium. It was the first time since the play-off semi-final against Millwall that Sergej Jakirovic's men had turned out on home turf, as they finalised their preparation for the visit of Manchester United next Saturday. In a similar fashion to last week in Frankfurt, there were a host of questions that still need to be answered before the transfer window closes in a couple of weeks, and Sergej Jakirovic will hope some of those can be answered in the next few days. Here's a look back at City's final summer outing.... JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest Hull City news and analysis on our Hull Live FB page Debuts assessed There were a host of new faces on show at the MKM Stadium, with Elliot Stroud getting his first outing for the Tigers, and a first home showing for Konstantinos Tzolakis and Jens Hjerto-Dahl. In the second half, we saw Lucas Herrington, Matt Targett, Lucas Gourna-Douath and Nobel Mendy. Stroud looked bright, while Hjerto-Dahl struggled at times with the tempo. As for Tzolakis, he just looks classy. His point-blank double save on the stroke of half-time was superb. His general confidence, authority and distribution showed why City have spent so much. Herrington was dominant, as was Mendy, with the pair showing glimpses of quality. Mendy came close to bagging the winner with a near-post header. Targett is still feeling his way into it and was tidy. As for Gourna-Douath, his engine and willingness to get on the ball from the moment he came on after an hour showed real promise. All in all, they were encouraging displays from the new players, and they'll benefit hugely from another week on the training pitch over the next few days, but they'll need time to settle in and get to grips with life in East Yorkshire. Don't forget the 'old guard' Naturally, following promotion, much of the focus is on the new players and who may yet arrive before the transfer window closes in a couple of weeks. The players who got City promoted will again form the backbone of the campaign ahead, and the likes of Semi Ajayi, John Egan, Ryan Giles, Lewie Coyle, Regan Slater and Matt Crooks have all lifted their levels in pre-season. Oli McBurnie hasn't had too much to work with in the past couple of games, and that's something they'll need to address. Slater was especially impressive against Nice, and he knows he faces real competition for his place with the new arrivals. He was keen to get on the ball and try to drive his side forward. One of the most fascinating things this season will be to see how the old guard fare as the season wears on, and how many of them will be given a chance to impress and subsequently take it. The gaping hole City's squad now looks fairly well stocked in the defensive and midfield areas now, but up front, it looks woefully short. Joe Gelhardt's arrival helps, but he's not a No.9 - and he's injured. Enis Destan has gone, as have Kyle Joseph and Lewis Koumas, so as it stands, Oli McBurnie is the only out-and-out striker. That cannot be the case going into the season. City need two more strikers and they need to be of real quality, to not only complement McBurnie but also give him competition. If anything happens to the talisman in training this week, as it stands, they'd go into the Manchester United game without a recognised striker. Fingers crossed the Tigers do bring in somebody of real quality to ease the pressure on McBurnie. Another requirement will be to have someone behind the frontman to help create the moments. Mo Belloumi showed good signs, and you'd think he can make the step. He should have scored when through on goal, while in the second period, Liam Millar had two moments where he put in good quality from wide areas, but they need more through the middle of the pitch and a genuine end product. As well as bringing in a bit more ingenuity, pace in the team is a must. Pace and power in the Premier League are the two big things you need in forward areas, and that remains an area the Tigers need more of. And that's pre-season finished All of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, City's latest pre-season is over and done with for another 12 months. Attention now turns to what happens over the next week. By this time next weekend, City's Premier League season will be well underway. Between now and then, Jakirovic will have another clear week to get things ready for Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime. He'll hope that more new arrivals are in through the door and have a small chance of being bedded in before that meeting with Michael Carrick's men. In review All in all, it's been a steady six weeks for City. There's been changes off the pitch with Jared Dublin losing his job as sporting director, as well as a flurry of injuries, but Jakirovic's men have looked decent enough. Their only loss came in Frankfurt last weekend, and for much of that first hour, they were decent enough, even though the Bundesliga giants looked a tad quicker and sharper, which is probably to be expected. Ultimately, pre-season is about fitness and making sure the squad are in a good place come the start of the season, with the smattering of new arrivals, they are. The acid test comes when the real stuff starts, and that's what comes next. Here at Hull Live , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Hull City coverage and analysis. 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