At Hull’s training ground on Friday morning, four players worked out in the centre of the bright green acres. It was tempting to wonder if the club’s meagre squad had been reduced yet further, until it became clear we were looking only at the goalkeepers.
It made for a decent gag, at least, and one the man at the centre of this peculiar situation would probably appreciate.
Entrusted with the job — on a caretaker basis at least — of guiding a group of 13 players through the early days of the season, Mike Phelan has realised quickly that a smile and a shrug can work as well as anything when it comes to deflecting the muck and bullets of the Premier League.