Friday 10 February 2017 18:51, UK
Harry Maguire thinks Hull City can look ahead to a bright future under new head coach Marco Silva.
Silva has transformed Hull's fortunes since replacing Mike Phelan last month, picking up seven points from four Premier League games, including a 2-0 win over Liverpool last weekend.
While the Tigers remain in the relegation zone, they are now just a point from safety, and seemingly buoyed by their recent results.
Hull's Harry Maguire tells Geoff Shreeves about his footballing journey
"Marco has come in and we seem to have clicked," Maguire told Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves in an exclusive interview ahead of his side's trip to Arsenal, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
"Under Mike Phelan it was tough for him, we didn't really have a big squad and we had numerous injuries which all came at once.
"We played some really good football and there were plenty of games towards the end of his management at Hull when we were the better side…but results weren't going our way. The chairman thought he needed to act and brought in Marco, who has a brilliant record wherever he has managed.
"We are really organised as a team, there are not many days off, he is very thorough in everything he does and works on, and every position we know where to be. It's very interesting and fans of Hull can look forward to the future."
There were fears that Hull could be cut adrift after a tough run of fixtures that has seen them face Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, before travelling to the Emirates.
But Maguire says their win over Liverpool and draw at Manchester United has given the squad a confidence boost.
"We have closed the gap on the other sides, so credit to the team, the management and the staff for doing that," he said. "Now we have another big game that will be tough. Whenever you go somewhere like the Emirates you have to hope they underperform…and we might need to ride our luck at time.
"But now we feel that we can go to places like the Emirates and if we do keep them out for the first 60 minutes and it does become an edgy game then we can go and nick one."
After their trip to Arsenal, Hull face a number of their relegation rivals, including Leicester, Swansea and Middlesbrough.
"It's a run of fixtures where we feel we need to start picking up more points," says Maguire. "And the faster we do that the further we move away from the relegation zone and the atmosphere around the place will be very exciting."
Watch Arsenal v Hull live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 11.30am on Saturday.
