Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit issues warning to Hull City owner Acun Ilicali amid Ruben Selles sack talk | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie has told FLW his verdict on Ruben Selles' potential dismissal at Hull City

Former Premier League footballer turned Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes it would be harsh, yet unsurprising if Ruben Selles was dismissed by Hull City.

According to BBC journalist Mike White, a change in manager is more likely than not this summer following the club’s scrape against relegation from the Championship.

41-year-old Selles took charge at the MKM Stadium in December after moving from Reading, and secured safety on the final day of the 2024-25 Championship season.

Superior goal difference was what separated them from 22nd-placed Luton Town, with the Tigers having come seventh in the previous campaign under Liam Rosenior.

Lee Hendrie believes Ruben Selles deserves extended Hull City chance

Hendrie has highlighted owner Acun Ilicali’s desire to enjoy immediate success as a stumbling block that might cost Selles his position at the club.

However, he feels that the ex-Reading boss deserves time to show what he can do after turning things around to keep Hull in the Championship for another year.

“The Hull City situation - obviously [they] survived not getting relegated, Selles came in, Acun brought him in to try and stabilise the club, which they ended up staying up by the skin of their teeth,” Hendrie exclusively told Football League World.

“Obviously they’ve sacked managers over the past few seasons - Rosenior is the one that stands out more so for me because you felt that was a platform for him to really go and push the club forward.

“But, they didn’t see that, they wanted better, they’ve seen otherwise and the new man didn’t work when he came in, and that’s why they find themselves in a really sticky predicament.

“I just think that, the model they have, they want immediate success, they want things to have at Hull City, they had plans of play-offs, promotion and he truly believed in that.

“Selles being on the brink of leaving the football club has not surprised me in the slightest.

“I think he deserves to be given a chance, but as we know with owners they have big eyes on success, they look elsewhere.

“Again, it wouldn’t surprise me.

“I feel he should be given a chance for keeping the football club in the Championship, but they want to be promoted and that’s where he’s going to have to bring in a top manager.”

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali sacking Ruben Selles would be an extremely harsh decision

Selles took over a side that struggled for results, and looked very likely to go down, yet managed to keep them in the division despite many injury concerns.

The Spaniard has earned the chance to oversee a summer of recruitment and see what he can do after leading them through pre-season.

Given how things turned out after sacking Rosenior 12 months ago, it’s difficult to trust the decision-makers at Hull, including owner Ilicali, that they could do better than Selles at this stage.