Hull City Fan View: Three essential players in Hull's Premier League run-in

With just 13 games left of this Premier League season, fans of all 20 top flight clubs are starting to get a clear idea of whereabouts in the Premier League table their side will finish come May.

Who is underachieving? Who are punching well above their weight? Has big spending in January saved them? Is that late managerial change their last throw of the dice?

These are the questions experts and pundits are thriving on as the Premier League run-in draws nears.

However, as a Hull City fan, all I care about is whether Marco Silva can pull off a phenomenal great escape and which players are going to be vital over the next 13 games if we are to avoid the drop?

Well, here are the three players that have caught the eye this season, and the ones that I think hold the key to the Tigers’ Premier League survival over our final 13 fixtures.

Harry Maguire

The former Sheffield United youngster has been faultless in the heart of defence this season. As I said of Curtis Davies earlier this year, Maguire is one of the few players who has seemingly improved as a footballer since Steve Bruce’s departure in July. Despite being a fans’ favourite for a number of seasons, it has to be said that this season has been Maguire’s standout year.

Starting the season, quite incredibly, behind Jake Livermore in the centre-half pecking order after suffering an injury in pre-season, Maguire’s determination and desire, which has seen him became one of the first names on Marco Silva’s team-sheet, defines the fight Hull City’s limited squad of players have shown this season.

Maguire has visibly grown as a footballer this season, clearly learning from the likes of former England international Michael Dawson, as well as the experienced Curtis Davies. As well as his no-nonsense style of defending, which has been exactly what the side has needed this year, Maguire has also provided a strong threat going forward.

His now trademark powerful drives forward, which are almost Rio Ferdinand-esque, have caused chaos amongst the backlines of some of the Premier League’s best teams this season, and his cannon of a shot, although not always the most accurate, has had many opposition goalkeepers worried.

At just 23-years-old, Maguire has bags of potential, and regardless of Hull City staying in the Premier League this season, I think the Tigers’ will have a real fight on their hands to keep hold of him during the summer. However, before worrying about that, keeping the big-man fit and playing every week is going to be essential if Hull City are to avoid the drop this season.

Tom Huddlestone

Like Maguire, Tom Huddlestone is another rare example of a City player who has seemingly benefited from a new style of management, having stepped-up to the plate, and looked like the Tom Huddlestone that was being mentioned as an England stalwart just a decade ago.

Since Marco Silva’s appointment at the beginning of the New Year, Huddlestone has started to look like the player we have only seen glimpses of over the last three-and-a-half years, producing similar form to that he displayed during his first season with the Tigers, culminating in the club’s FA Cup run in the 2013/14 season.

Perhaps benefiting from Silva’s more ‘European’ style of coaching, the 30-year-old has once again started to ‘quarterback’ matches from the centre of the park, creating more chances for his team, and not losing possession cheaply.

His deft touch and immaculate range of passing have been vital in City’s recent run of good form, and the former Spurs man, who is currently anchoring the centre of Marco Silva’s rebuilt Hull City spine, will be absolutely essential if the Tigers are to climb away from the relegation zone in our remaining 13 Premier League fixtures.

[READ MORE: Manchester United 0 – 0 Hull]

Abel Hernandez

After suffering a few injury setbacks this season, and arguably falling behind in Marco Silva’s pecking order in recent months, I still believe last season’s top scorer, Abel Hernandez, has a huge role to play in City’s Premier League run-in this season.

With the likes of Dieumerci Mbokani, Oumar Niasse and Adama Diomandé battling for Silva’s starting XI – a starting XI with often only features one out-and-out striker – it is true that there is no guarantee Hernandez will even receive a regular start under the Portuguese. However, for my money, the Uruguayan international is by some distance the best natural finisher in City’s squad.

While he has never been lethal in his two Premier league campaigns, I believe the former Palermo man would benefit from more regular starts in Marco Silva’s much more attacking line-up. Unlike during Mike Phelan’s short reign, which often saw Hernandez isolated up-top and reduced to feeing on scraps, playing in front of the likes of Markovic, Evandro, Grosicki and the rejuvenated Huddlestone, can only be good for Hernandez.

As I discussed in my last blog, I also believe the Uruguayan would benefit from playing with a partner up-front. In my view, a strike partnership of Hernandez and Niasse would surely inject much needed goals into our recent good performances. Niasse’s brute strength and hold-up play combined with Hernandez’s flair, pace and natural finishing ability is a mouth-watering prospect.

With games against Burnley, Swansea and Leicester approaching, I believe this is the perfect opportunity to get Hernandez firing again. Should the 26-year-old find a similar purple patch to the one he found in the Championship last season, his goals could well be the difference between relegation and survival this season.