Marco Silva admits he is ‘looking forward’ to returning to Hull City with Fulham this weekend.
The Portuguese head coach forged a firm bond with the Tigers fans during his short time on Humberside in 2017 – almost keeping City in the top flight with eight wins from 22 matches in charge having taken over from Mike Phelan with the side bottom of the pile.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Silva reiterated his affection for the club and their supporters.
“I’m looking forward to it. It will be the first time [back], so it will definitely be special for me and my staff. It was a short period that we managed that football club, but it was special. It was my first time in the Premier League, my first time in this country.
The way they welcomed us, the way they made us feel part of the football club, they made us feel at home, it was really special for me, every single moment that I had in that football club. It will be special to see some people again and to be at a game in that stadium.”
He is determined to ensure there is no complacency for the Championship leaders, despite their 3-0 midweek win over Millwall opening up a six point gap at the top of the table.
“If you ask me if I’m happy with the season so far, of course I’m really pleased with it. But, at the same time, I know we haven’t won anything. Okay, we’re at the top and we’ve shown that we’re doing well, we’re improving from a collective point of view. A good number of players are having fantastic seasons and it’s up to us to keep working with them individually to improve. But always, at the top, is the collective.
Everyone at this football club is pleased, we’re happy with the situation now, but we know that big fights are ahead of us and we have to keep our feet on the ground, respect our job, be humble enough to understand what type of competition we are playing in. We know that everything in football can change so quickly, there are good examples this season in the Championship.”
Silva confirmed that Kenny Tete will miss the trip to East Yorkshire as he continues his recovery from the groin injury sustained at Stoke City last month, although the Dutch defender has begun a cautious return to training.
