Garcia, 29, underwent a minor operation on his knee in late December, forcing him to pull out of the Socceroos squad for the Qatar tournament.

The Perth-born forward is now close to a return, but faces a battle for a run in the Tigers side following the January arrivals of attackers Aaron Mclean, Matty Fryatt and Tijani Belaid.

Hull assistant boss Craig Shakespeare told the Hull Daily Mail that Garcia isn't expected to return for upcoming games against Derby County and Ipswich, but should be in the selection mix for the February 26 clash with Cardiff City.

"Vito (Mannone) and Garc have been training outdoors," Shakespeare said. "I would expect both to be a week or two away now which is good because we want competition for places.

"It might cause a few headaches in certain areas but from the club's point of view we can't wait to have them back."