After a successful first season back in the Premier League, Hull will be looking to push on from their 16th place finish but will hope that the Europa League doesn’t get in the way.

The Tigers aren’t relegation favourites but they aren’t guaranteed to stay up and considering the Thursday/Sunday schedule has taken its toll on the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle in previous seasons, they will do well to balance their resources over the next 10 months.

Steve Bruce has brought in six new players this summer to bolster the squad as they embark on their first season in Europe, in a hope to avoid picking up injuries as well as rotating a squad which will surely get tired with all the added fixtures.

Jake Livermoore has been signed on a permanent deal from Tottenham, after spending last season on loan at the KC Stadium, while Tom Ince turned down a move to Inter Milan to join the Tigers.

Robert Snodgrass was signed from relegated Norwich to add a bit more creativity and Harry Maguire has been brought in to improve the defence.

The addition of Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic in January has meant Bruce has two established strikers and doesn’t need to dip into the market again. 

And with Ince and Snodgrass now laying on the chances, Hull have the fire power comfortably stay in the league.

Another cup run is unlikely though. With the side looking destined to finish in mid-table, the later rounds of the cup begin to take its toll on the squad — despite Bruce saying otherwise — and the Tigers managed to beat the drop by four points and the manager may use the League Cup as a way to give fringe players a run out or give game time to some of the younger players at the club.

Every player will be called upon this season and the former Manchester United defender will want to use as many players as possible, to give the first team squad as much rest as he can.

However, all the on the field success is continually been undone by owner Assem Allam’s need to change the team’s name to the Hull Tigers. 

For now, the rebranding talk has died down but if Hull make it into the group stages of the Europa League, Allam may bring up the issue again.

And the 75-year-old’s argument, that the name change will make the club more marketable, will only intensify as the club travel across Europe and play more televised games. It seems that the bigger the club get, the more the problem will be raised.

Bruce has done well so far to not get distracted but there’s only so long he can keep ignoring the Tiger in the room. 

Especially if the owner stays true to his word, that if the club do not change their name he will walk away and take his money with him.

This gives Bruce more incentive to use the younger players and hope that they make the step up from the academy to the first team. There may come a point when Bruce can’t dip into the market to buy players without offloading a few and if he can use the younger talent available, it may solve a few problems.

But with the league starting in just seven days, Hull’s priority will be to win their opening game against QPR at the KC Stadium.

Should they do that, it will stand them in good stead for the next few games when they also welcome Stoke and West Ham at home.

If they can avoid losing to the teams who are most likely to be around them towards the end of the season, they would be well on their way of reaching the magical 40-point mark before the end of January.

Should they do that, then they can look at another FA Cup journey or an extended run in the Europa League. 

But for Bruce and the fans, securing a third year in the Premier League is the main objective this season.