Tigers prepare to unveil new manager

The Tigers are hunting a permanent successor to Phil Brown ahead of a return to the Championship with Paul Hart understood to be among the front-runners.

Iain Dowie, who took temporary charge for the final nine games of last season, had hoped to be in the running but winning just one game has counted against him.

Instead, Hull are believed to be considering a number of candidates with Cardiff City's Dave Jones highly regarded by the board.

Sheffield United assistant Gary Speed is another to have been linked with the vacancy, while Steve Cotterill claimed to have rebuffed advances from the Tigers on taking charge of Portsmouth.

Pearson said: "We have not made a decision but hope to be in a position to do so by the end of the week.

"The players are back for pre-season training next week (on July 1) so, ideally, the new manager will come in a couple of days before that."

Hull yesterday sold top scorer Stephen Hunt to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee believed to be around 3m.

The 29-year-old missed the final three months of last season with a foot injury that is not expected to heal until after the new season is underway.

But Mick McCarthy was so determined to sign a player he first tried to capture last summer that he pushed a deal through.