Interim Hull manager Phelan hoping to succeed Bruce on permanent basis
Mike Phelan is hoping he can convince the Hull City hierarchy of naming him the club's permanent manager.
Phelan is currently fulfilling a caretaker role after Steve Bruce's resignation left Hull without a manager just three weeks before the start of the Premier League season.
Following an apprenticeship under Bruce and previously as an assistant with Manchester United, Phelan is now looking to make a step up in his coaching career.
Related: Hull City confirms Steve Bruce's exit, appoints Mike Phelan as caretaker manager
"I want to be a manager. I don't really see why I shouldn't want to be a manager. Time will tell. That decision doesn't always come down to you," the 53-year-old told the Hull Daily Mail. "I've had a small chat and I was asked if I would carry on being in charge for now. We have games, we have preparations, we've still got three weeks to go."
Phelan's first taste of the job came Saturday in a 2-0 friendly victory over Scunthorpe United. He has been with Hull since January 2015, and is now one of the bookmakers' favourites to take the job full time. He also faces competition from Ryan Giggs, whom Phelan coached during his 14 years at Old Trafford.
"My job is no different to what it has been except now I'm stood on the touchline in games doing my bit," said Phelan. "We just have to do our job, there's nothing else we can do until the powers that be make their decisions."
Bruce's exit coincided with a tough start to the club's preseason training. Injuries reduced Hull's squad to just 12 fit players, according to the Guardian's Louis Taylor, and a dispute over the Tigers' transfer policies left Bruce no choice but to depart.
No signing has yet been made by the east Yorkshire outfit, which secured promotion to the Premier League after winning the Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday.
"I don't know why he wasn't backed. As an assistant, I assisted the manager, and his frustrations can sometimes become your frustrations," said Phelan. "But what can you do? It's been a long, drawn-out saga."
Bruce oversaw two promotion campaigns with Hull.