Hibs dealt Will Fish boost as Lee Johnson speaks on Riley Harbottle signing

Hibs boss Lee Johnson has been dealt a boost as he aims to get a second season-long loan deal over the line for Manchester United defender Will Fish.

Hibs manager Lee Johnson spoke about his continued pursuit of Will Fish and the signing of Riley Harbottle. Picture: Contributed/SkySports

Erik ten Hag had looked set to name the 20-year-old in the travelling squad for the Red Devils’ pre-season tour of the USA, which would have delayed his return to the Capital and ruled him out of Hibs’ first European tie next week.

But after playing the second 45 minutes of the 1-0 victory over Lyon at Murrayfield on Wednesday, Fish was not named in the 31-man squad for America which could accelerate his return to Easter Road.

Speaking to Sky Sports earlier on Wednesday, Johnson said: "We’re still looking to get Will through. Obviously he’s a Manchester United player but we’re here, waiting, and ready. We’re in constant contact with Will and United and their needs come first at the moment in terms of their pre-season fixtures but we hope to get him here as soon as possible.”

The Capital club get their UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying adventure under way on Thursday July 27 against either Inter Club d’Escaldes of Andorra or Faroese representatives Víkingur Gøta. As yet, they have little clue as to their opposition or venue for the first leg, but Fish could now be available for both matches if a deal can be finalised in time.

Johnson also discussed the club’s summer training camp in Marbella and the recent arrival of Riley Harbottle from Nottingham Forest.

He added: "Riley has potential. We needed someone to fill the slot in the squad that can play. We’ve got a lot of good, young talent here and a pathway out on loan and within the club, but we needed somebody. You alway need to be strong in the centre-half position. You need four good, strong competitive centre-halves because if you lose strength in your spine it can be a problem."

Reflecting on the training camp in Marbella, Johnson added: "Things are going well. We picked up a couple of little niggles in terms of injuries but the boys are in good shape generally. It was a really tough camp we had, particularly the environment in terms of the heat we were training in, but we played two games; one of which was a good test and a good eye-opener against Premier League Bournemouth. The signings have integrated well as personalities and I think they’re starting to understand our style of play.”

This has been the first transfer window with director of football Brian McDermott in place, and Johnson reiterated the importance for a club like Hibs to make money go the distance when it comes to bringing in players.

“It’s always the collective but the manager picks the team. You need your money on the pitch, and we need to be really clever and diligent with our finances. We’re competing in a big European league, and in Europe, and we want to be successful. You get the rewards of good decisions by going further in the cups and the league, finishing higher means more guaranteed finances but it’s not about that is it? It’s about the experiences for the fans and winning football matches and trying to create history.

"Reaching the groups will be tough but it’s part of the journey. This is a great club and historically, European competition has been there for the club, but never the group stages, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”