Tigers ready to hand Barmby opportunity to prove he is man to replace Pearson

The 37-year-old was yesterday confirmed as the club’s new caretaker chief after agreement was finally reached over Nigel Pearson’s return to Leicester City.

It means the former England international will take charge of the Tigers for the first time at Derby County on Saturday.

Officially, the noises coming out of the KC Stadium suggest Hull’s search for a new manager is under way.

However, sources reveal that the Hull hierarchy are keen on handing Barmby the role on an extended basis with a view to making him Pearson’s permanent successor in time – ending speculation that Warren Joyce, Manchester United’s reserve team manager, is on the verge of a return to the club he led during the ‘Great Escape’ season of 1998-99.

Part of the board’s thinking is a fervent desire not to disrupt what, a third in, is shaping up to be a potentially exciting season for the Tigers as they look to earn a return to the Premier League.

Defeat in their last two games has seen Hull drop out of the top six but they have a game in hand, at home to Birmingham City on December 7.

Barmby, a popular member of the squad with his team-mates, has been part of Pearson’s coaching staff since the summer of 2010, combining the duties with playing.

He is understood to have outlined the situation to the Hull players yesterday when they returned to training after a three-day break.

The focus is firmly on Saturday’s visit to Pride Park and a meeting with the Rams, who are one place above Hull in the table.

Barmby’s hopes of getting off to a winning start are likely to be boosted by the return from a lengthy injury of midfield man Cameron Stewart.

As Hull focus on Derby, a sense of anticipation is building in Leicester ahead of Pearson returning before Sunday’s home game against Crystal Palace.

Pearson is a popular figure at Leicester after a two-year spell that brought the League One title and a place in the Championship play-off semi-finals.

Pearson will be joined by Craig Shakespeare and Steve Walsh, his two coaches at Hull.

The trio’s return, confirmed yesterday by the Foxes, brought to an end a turbulent week or so for both clubs.

Lee Clark’s decision to turn down Leicester on November 3 was the catalyst for the spotlight falling on Pearson, whose odds on a return to the Foxes immediately fell dramatically.

Initially, he appeared to be trying to distance himself from speculation – even going so far as to call the links “irritating” at Hull’s weekly press briefing on the day Huddersfield manager Clark rejected the Foxes’ overtures.

Soon, though, it emerged that Pearson was keen on a return – the promise of an £8m transfer kitty in the January window likely to have been a big attraction for the 46-year-old, who, sources in the Midlands say, has signed a contract worth £1m a year.

Leicester made their first approach to Hull on the morning of West Ham United’s 2-0 win at the KC on November 5.

Chairman Assem Allam’s response was to put a £1m-plus price on his manager’s head.

Leicester, due to Pearson having a get-out clause of £700,000 in his Tigers’ contract, baulked at the demand and late last week it seemed that the move may be in jeopardy.

This would have put Pearson in an awkward position – he had not taken training in the East Riding since the defeat to West Ham – but the deal was revived over the weekend before agreement was reached yesterday when a compromise was thrashed out.

It brought to an end Pearson’s stay in Hull, a period that saw him initially steady the ship following relegation.

The Allam takeover allowed Pearson to re-model his squad with big-money purchases such as Matty Fryatt and Aaron Mclean.

Results improved markedly but the play-offs proved beyond Hull last season. This time around, the Tigers have been in and around the top six for the past couple of months and Barmby’s task is to push his boyhood club on, starting with the trip to Derby.

Barmby will face Leicester in only his fourth game as manager at home on December 3.