Steve Bruce has revealed that his Hull City players will be forced to cut their salaries in half if the club are relegated from the Premier League.

The Tigers are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference as they are level on points with 18th-placed Leicester City following a six-match winless run in the top flight.

However, Bruce is upbeat that his side can pull together a series of good performances to avoid the drop into the Championship.

Bruce told reporters: "If the worst-case scenario occurs, there will be drastic cuts of 40-50% in wages. Of course nobody wants relegation to happen and we're all determined not to let it happen.

"But at least the financial plan we have here protects the club and erases any prospect of it being put in a situation where it will go into financial meltdown if we lose the fight to stay up.

"What's vitally important is to make sure the club doesn't get into that horrible situation it was in when the current owners came in and kept Hull City in business."

Hull play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park later today.