Leonid Slutsky feels like Yuri Gagarin ahead of Hull's season opener against Aston Villa
Wednesday 2 August 2017 22:44, UK
Hull boss Leonid Slutsky is going where no Russian has gone before in the opening Championship weekend - and he insists he is doing it boldly.
The 46-year-old will be the first Russian manager in the English leagues when his side face Aston Villa on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football.
Slutsky has cracked the language and says he feels like Yuri Gagarin - the first man in space - as he attempts to crack the Championship and get Hull promoted.
"I am the first Russian manager in England," he told Sky Sports News. "I'm like Yuri Gugarin. It's an important and exciting time for me but with serious responsibility.
"Pre-season has gone very quickly. We didn't have a lot of time. Only one month. It's nothing because we had to rebuild the team. Some very important players left and others came in.
"We have moved forward very well but my feeling is that we are late on one or two steps. We are ready but we need some new players and to adapt some new players to the philosophy and the system.
"It will be a difficult start but we are ready. It will be a positive mood and with maximum enthusiasm because there is no other way."
The Tigers have lost a plethora of their Premier League talent including Curtis Davies, Tom Huddlestone, Andrew Robertson, Ahmed Elmohamady, Josh Tymon, Harry Maguire and the goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic.
They have brought in Kevin Stewart from Liverpool, Fraizer Campbell on a free transfer, Czech centre-back Ondrej Mazuch, youngsters Callum Burton and Liam Edwards, and Chelsea's Michael Hector on a season-long loan.
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But Slutsky says the transfer market has been "a difficult process". He said: "When the team was relegated, each player thinks it's not because he's not a good player. (They think) 'I am Premier League level but the team is not good, I am leaving the club and playing in the Premier League'.
"It's normal but we didn't have a lot of time for changing. Each new transfer is very important to us. They are all good players. But I can't understand our possibilities until official matches start."
Watch Aston Villa v Hull live on Sky Sports Football this Saturday, coverage begins at 5.15pm
