Continuity under Phelan is key – Davies

Hull City defender Curtis Davies has backed Mike Phelan to become the club’s manager on a permanent basis and stressed the importance of stability at the club.

Despite having just 13 fit senior players in his squad at the start of the season, caretaker Hull manager Phelan has guided the Tigers to two wins out of three Premier League fixtures and a victory in the EFL Cup.

Hull strengthened their squad with six new players before the transfer window closed, but Phelan’s future at the club remains uncertain, with prospective new owners yet to decide on a permanent replacement for Steve Bruce – who left the club in pre-season.

Asked whether he would support Phelan becoming the club’s manager on a full-time basis, Davies told Sky Sports News: “100 per cent, because he has been relaxed with us, the way we have played we have tried to be positive, we have tried to go into games to try and win.

“I think the continuation [of Phelan] has been a big thing. He obviously takes the training, he has been our first team coach for a year-and-a-half now and the fact that he has continued with that, he has kept his style going and also he has brought a relaxed mentality to us.

“I think early on in this we didn’t know whether he was going to get the job or not, whether he was going to be here for a couple of days, a week.

“It is looking more likely that he is going to take the job.”

Davies’ performances in August earned him a nomination for the Premier League Player of the Month award, and the 31-year-old pointed to a busy pre-season as the reason for his sharpness.

“I think it was actually playing in all the pre-season games,” he said. “I played in seven pre-season games, which obviously takes it out of your legs and maybe along the line I might regret that but, because we had no one, I had to play seven pre-season games therefore I was match-fit.

“That’s what has helped me hit the ground running this season and my form has been OK.”