Only in December did Selles leave his position at Reading to take over at Hull, but owner Acun Ilicali chose to sever ties with the Spaniard last week, even though he had succeeded in keeping the team in the Championship.
Although Ilicali called Selles “a fantastic guy and a good coach,” he acknowledged that he was “not happy about the general picture” and stated that he could not be “satisfied” with the Tigers’ narrow escape from relegation on goal differential.
Journalist Darren Witcoop disclosed that Muslic is the club’s favoured candidate after Ilicali appeared to imply that Antalyaspor manager Emre Belozoglu was no longer in the race for the open managerial post. Ilicali also disclosed that he is now examining five applicants for the position.
Even though Plymouth was relegated to League One this season, Muslic garnered a lot of praise for the transformation he brought about at Home Park after taking Wayne Rooney’s place in January. The 42-year-old led his team to stunning league wins over West Brom, Norwich City, Sheffield United, and Coventry City, as well as elimination from the FA Cup by Premier League champions Liverpool.
| Miron Muslic’s record as Plymouth Argyle head coach (as per Transfermarkt) | |
| Games | 23 |
| Won | 8 |
| Drawn | 5 |
| Lost | 10 |
| Win percentage | 34.8% |
Lee Hendrie issues verdict on potential Hull City, Miron Muslic appointment
In an exclusive interview with Football League World, Hendrie acknowledged that he has been impressed by Muslic’s performance at Plymouth despite adversity. He also maintained that he should be given the chance to stay in the Championship despite rumours that he is joining Hull.
“Hull City are looking for a replacement for Ruben Selles, and Miron Muslic has been heavily linked with the job,” Hendrie said.
“Would he be an upgrade on Selles? He did well this season, I must admit.
“He came in as a bit of an unknown, we didn’t know an awful lot about him, but there was obviously something there that Plymouth looked at and felt he was capable of stepping into a Championship role.
“I do think he’s done a fantastic job and surprised a hell of a lot of people, and he’s very good when he’s in front of the cameras.
“He came into a football club that was trying to survive, and he had one target for where he wanted to go and what he wanted to achieve, which was to keep Plymouth up, but I think it’s different when you have a full season.
“I did like his tactical ways, he was defensive-minded and won some really, really big games that gave Plymouth half a chance of getting out of it.
“My thoughts on Hull are that I just think it’s crazy, they need to stick with someone who is going to give them some sort of platform to build from.
“Muslic has dropped out of the Championship, but why shouldn’t he have a taste of jumping back in again?”
Plymouth Argyle will be hoping they can hold onto their manager as a season in League One beckons
Miron Muslic may have big Acun Ilicali concern amid Hull City talk
Although Muslic was unable to stop Plymouth from being relegated, his reputation is currently high, and he would undoubtedly be a good addition to Hull after establishing himself in the Championship.
To show that they are committed to keeping Muslic at the club, the Pilgrims recently named Tom Randle, who worked with Muslic at Cercle Brugge, as their new Head of Recruitment. He will have to choose between the relatively stable atmosphere at Home Park and the chaos at MKM Stadium.
Muslic might be hesitant to work under the Tigers boss because Hull has already had three managers in less than a year, and Ilicali made it clear after firing Liam Rosenior last May that he expects his manager to bring both results and attacking football.
