The 35-year-old helped the Tigers narrowly avoid relegation last term and was rewarded for his efforts with a new one-year deal.

Despite his advancing years, Barmby continues to play an important role for the club both on and off the pitch and the former Liverpool player will on Friday be hoping to guide Hull to their first silverware of the season at the Barclays Asia Trophy in China.

Barmby maintains he is not feeling the toll of playing football at the highest level and believes he has more than matched some of the younger members of the Tigers' squad during pre-season.

"I still love the buzz of coming into training and playing and I still have that enthusiasm and fire inside me to play," he said.

"You just have to look after your body. The good thing is I am seeing young lads struggling in pre-season and that keeps me going."

Barmby's return to Beijing's Workers Stadium this week has evoked fond memories of 1996 when he scored twice for England in a 3-0 friendly win over China.

"It is fantastic (to be back)," he added. "The city has changed a lot since I was last here.

"It is a great experience for us and a great experience for Hull City.

"The story of us as a club coming this far and playing in a tournament like this is fantastic."

Hull manager Phil Brown has also been pleasantly surprised by Barmby's stamina and is adamant he still has plenty to offer the club.

Barmby overcame the heat and humidity to help Hull edge Chinese side Beijing Guoan 5-4 on penalties on Wednesday and set-up a match with Tottenham Hotspur in Friday's final.

"He got 65 minutes of the game (against Beijing Guoan) and we had been expecting him to come off knackered at half time," said Brown. "It is a credit to himself what he is doing at the moment.

"We gave him another year in terms of contract last season. It is not just an ambassadorial role, Nick is here to play football and at the highest level and he is doing that.

"The likes of Nicky Barmby are going to keep me in a job for a long time to come hopefully."