David Meyler: Make Mike Phelan full-time at Hull

Irish midfielder David Meyler wants caretaker manager Mike Phelan to be given the job on a full-time basis as Hull continue to search for clarity upon their return to the Premier League.

The Tigers defied the odds when they began their campaign with a 2-1 home win over Leicester on the opening day, but off-field dramas still hang heavy over any long-term ambitions. Despite the shot of confidence, Hull have gone another week without adding a player to their threadbare squad, while Phelan’s future remains unclear.

Meyler has plenty of experience in the top-flight and believes Phelan is ready-made to steer them through the uncertainty.

“He’s been here two-and-a-half years, so he knows all the players, even if there are only 12-13 of us fit,” he said. “It’s up to the hierarchy to decide, but my personal opinion is it would be good to have him.”

Phelan has spent almost all of his coaching career as an assistant, most significantly as a trusted ally to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, without being given a full-time managerial role.

The 53-year-old has publicly declared he is ready for a full-time role and Meyler is certain Phelan is ready for such an opportunity after his thorough planning helped mastermind victory against Leicester.

“He deserves a lot of credit,” he said. “He set us up in a good manner to deal with everything. We tried to crowd them out in midfield and stop them playing and stop them turning us towards our own goal. His work all week helped us do that.”

Meyler said the players were just as prepared for this weekend’s trip to Swansea.

“We’ve watched everything on Swansea,” he said.

“We could tell you everything about the: How long they sleep, how many times they go to the toilet every day.

“That’s just the type of person he is. He’s a winner and he’s trying to embed that into us. That showed from last week’s performance.”