Hull City manager says he fancies Manchester United job – Talks about Tigers achievement

Hull City manager Sergej Jakirović says he had to convince his players they’d have a “great start” to the season, and has said he fancies the Manchester United job.

The Tigers had narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship during the 2024/25 season.

Hull City appointed Jakirović as their manager in June 2025, and he helped them return to the Premier League.

They secured a promotion to the top flight after overcoming Middlesbrough in the play-off final, courtesy of Oli McBurnie’s late winner.

The English club’s coach enjoys speaking to the Croatian media, which he does regularly. In the summer, he said Hull City want to sign Toni Fruk, Rokas Pukštas and Marco Pašalić, but none arrived.

Rise means means ambition is now at Manchester United level

Sergej Jakirović has given an interview to RTL Dana.

When asked if he fancies returning to Dinamo Zagreb, Jakirović made clear his ambitions are a bit loftier now.

“Me?! Where am I, I’m looking towards Manchester United, haha! Never say never, I would be at home in that case, I had a good time at Dinamo, I don’t hold anything against anyone, some people are revealed, who pretended to be good to you… But I’m looking to reach the biggest clubs here.”

The Tigers started the league season with a 2-0 win over Manchester United at home and then secured a 1-0 win over Coventry City. This saw Sergej Jakirović win the Manager of the Month award for August.

Hull City then settled for a goalless draw against Aston Villa and another point against Chelsea.

On the individual recognition, he said: “Until yesterday you watched them on television, and now you talk to them before and after the games. They are simple people and that is the formula for success.”

“It is unreal, I am proud of the award. Wake me up, this is a dream. Just being in that company is a dream, and then winning. None of this is possible without players who translate all ideas into action and they deserve this award and are as proud as I am.”

Hull City’s good start 

Hull City are fourth in the table with eight points and are one of the four unbeaten teams in the Premier League.

On their recent form, Sergej Jakirović explained: “A great start. When the schedule is drawn, I get messages that we will do well, but there are no easy games here. My job was to convince the guys that we can do it and that we believe in our work.”

“There are a lot of new coaches and players in the league, and I found a balance between the skeleton from last year and the reinforcements. We have unity, a style that is uncomfortable for everyone. If someone had told me that we would have eight points after four rounds… I don’t know. But I am an optimist and I think we still have room for improvement.”

Manager explains his philosophy 

The 49-year-old insists his philosophy is to adapt to the players available at his disposal.

“I was asked a year ago what my philosophy is. My philosophy is to adapt to the player’s profile. I don’t imagine that I will have €500m and bring in players who will play the way I want. Simplicity is a virtue. Football is made into science fiction today, but it is simple,” he added.

“It was simple when I played before. The postulates are the same. It’s just a bit faster. You have to convince the players to give their all for you. It’s about consistency, fairness and that the player knows what he is up to and that you don’t make any distinctions between players.”

Sergej Jakirović explained his plans when asked how he prepares for matches like the ones against Manchester United and Chelsea.

“The working approach is selective. It’s easier to impose Chelsea on the players than the other way around,” he said.

“I’ve managed Rijeka, Dinamo and Zrinjski and then you have to motivate them more in some games. You have to know that at some points you will be dominant because we are mostly subordinates, which is not a problem for us because we were subordinates in the Championship.”

“I see that Coventry and Ipswich have a problem now because they were dominant. The secret is that in football you have to have a team. It’s like a puzzle you put together. It’s 11 heads, we always try to make everyone think the same and someone will jump out.”