Hull City manager Steve Bruce believes that the influx of foreigners in the Premier League can be attributed to clubs being forced to overpay for British talent.

The Tigers have spent £15m on the signings of Jake Livermore and Robert Snodgrass this summer, with a fee still to be decided by tribunal for winger Thomas Ince.

Bruce has admitted that Hull do not yet possess the scouting network to be able to safely identify cheaper alternatives from abroad, but understands why those teams who do recruit from overseas.

"There's the problem in our game. You identify a young English lad but you can get a player from overseas for half the price," he told reporters.

"If I can buy in our market I always will. You pay a premium for a young British player and that's what we've done. We've got a 22-year-old, a 24-year-old and a 26-year-old. It's cost us more money but I would expect that.

"You know what you're going to get. There'll come a time when I know what I'm going to get from the foreign market and hopefully we can get that set up in the next 12 months."

Bruce has also revealed that he has not given up on signing defender Michael Dawson from Tottenham Hotspur.