Former Hull striker Peter Swan believes the club have "no excuses not to play Jimmy Bullard" now the transfer window has closed. Hull's biggest wage earner Bullard has been frozen out of the first-team so far this season with the Tigers hoping to offload him.

But Bullard must stay at the KC Stadium at least until the transfer window reopens in January and Swan told the Hull Daily Mail: "The end of the transfer window means that City have no excuse not to play Jimmy Bullard.

"I don't know what their reasoning was behind not playing him in the first place, but any reason has disappeared now.

"Quite simply he has to come straight back into the side as he's the best player in the Championship by a million miles.

"What City must do now is try at least to get some return on their massive outlay. If you buy a new car you don't leave it in the garage do you?"