Hull City manager Grant McCann says he is hopeful that Jarrod Bowen will sign a new contract with the club, amid continuing speculation around his future.

Bowen was last month offered a new contract with the Tigers, with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season - a deal which hold the option to extend by a further 12 months - following a summer that saw him linked with a number of Premier League sides including Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle in the aftermath of a campaign that saw him hit 22 league goals for the Tigers.

With Bowen carrying that prolific form into the current campaign, scoring nine goals in 16 league appearances so far this season, it is no surprise that McCann is keen to keep the attacker at the club.

Speaking to the Hull Daily Mail about the possibility of doing just that, McCann said: “We would love him to sign a new deal but we understand where he is at.

“He has got a year and a half left, it’s completely down to Jarrod and his representatives but I think he is focused on his football. That is the most important thing."

It seems for now however, that McCann's immediate focus is on the pitch matters, as the Hull boss continued: “I don’t think anything can swerve him away from what he does on an everyday level really and leading into a game.

“Jarrod knows that will be sorted out between his representatives and the football club, me and him can concentrate on the football.”

Discussing Bowen's mindset with regards to the possibility of interest arising in him again in January, McCann revealed: “I’m not sure, I think the club are quite calm, I think Jarrod is quite calm.

“I’ve said it before, he is the best in the league at what he does and he is a real asset to us. Hopefully, it can be sorted out one way or another but at the minute, we are all fine.”

Hull go into their clash with Middlesbrough on Sunday afternoon 15th in the Championship table, seven points adrift of the play-off spots.

The Verdict

You can fully understand what McCann is saying here.

Bowen's outstanding form so far this season means he is still an absolutely key player in any progress that Hull are going to make in the next few seasons.

With that in mind, it does make sense for McCann to be rather guarded with his comments here, since he is not going to want to say anything that could attract any further Premier League attention in Bowen.

Regardless of that, Hull will surely want to get this sorted as soon as possible, especially with the January transfer window slowly moving into view.