Silva: Mason is always in Hull’s thoughts

Hull City head coach Marco Silva admits injured Ryan Mason is at the forefront of his mind as the Portuguese bids to engineer the club’s Premier League survival.

The Tigers did their fight against relegation a world of good on Saturday as they came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 thanks to goals from Andrew Robertson and Andrea Ranocchia.

But they were once again without midfielder Mason, who saw his season ended when he suffered a fractured skull during a 2-0 loss to Chelsea on January 22.

The Tigers’ record signing required emergency surgery in a central London hospital and spent a week under close observation before being discharged.

Mason is now recovering at his family home in the south east, but Silva insists the 25-year-old is never far from Hull’s thoughts.

“We miss not only the player but the man as well,” said Silva, who had started Mason in each of his first four games as City boss.

“Sometimes you forget when you talk about the players we don’t have available but he’s a really important player for us. Not only on the pitch, I repeat, because he’s a fantastic boy and a fantastic professional. It is good news for us all that he is progressing well.

“Sometimes I speak with him, of course. Maybe I don’t speak with him one week but he knows that he stays always in our mind. We play for us and our fans, but for Ryan as well.”