Hull City manager Steve Bruce has issued a stark warning that a squad crisis at the Sky Bet Championship club could only get worse in the last few days before the transfer window closes.

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Bruce is worried about the state of the current Tigers squad

Since their relegation at the end of last season, the KC Stadium has witnessed the departure of 14 players, including key names such Robbie Brady, James Chester and Dame N’Doye. It has been suggested that the new acquisitions could do little to compensate for the losses.

And now Bruce has admitted that his team is facing a chronic shortage that might blow away any chance of promotion.

"It is not going to be easy to go back up, it never is," he admitted to the Hull Daily Mail. "But I realised after three years of me being there, it was time for me to go or time to turn around the squad and start again. That is what we are hoping to do.

"If two or three come on deadline day, that leaves me chronically short. I can't really do anything."

The Sky Bet Championship club are resigned to lose strikers Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez before 1 September, while the future of former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tom Huddlestone remains uncertain, with Bruce admitting he would be powerless to stop him from leaving amid interest from West Ham.

But this is only half the story; a struggle to keep their best players has been coupled with failure to attract identified targets. Three bids to bring Andre Gray from Brentford have been already rejected, with the Bees set to offer the striker a new contract. This as negotiations with Chicago Fire over a possible move for Shaun Maloney have also hit stumbling block.

With time running out, Bruce will need to make sure that he has a team capable of challenging for a swift comeback to the Premier League. An unbeaten start belies the fact that Hull’s thinning squad will struggle to cope with well-prepared rivals.

Steve Bruce's side earned a 1-1 draw in their last Sky Bet Championship match against Wolves at Molineux - an Allan McGregor howler gave Kenny Jackett's side an ample opportunity to equalise, and subsequently leave the match ending 1-1.

Hull City fans....... What do you make of this news? Do you agree with the words of Steve Bruce? Are you in a critical state? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!