Danny Handling departs Hibs by mutual consent

The 23-year-old midfielder had a year left on his contract at Easter Road but has opted to move on after it became clear that he would not be part of Neil Lennon’s plans for the upcoming campaign.

Handling’s progress at Hibs has been badly stunted by two serious injuries which sidelined him for the majority of the previous two seasons. The academy graduate’s last competitive first-team match for Hibs was against Alloa in April 2015, although he played seven matches for Raith Rovers during a loan spell at the end of last term.

Handling made his Hibs debut under Colin Calderwood as a late substitute against Aberdeen in May 2011. After a fruitful loan stint at Berwick Rangers the following season, he started to make his presence felt in Hibs’ first-team under Pat Fenlon with 18 appearances in the 2012/13 campaign, one of which came as a substitute in the 2013 Scottish Cup final defeat by Celtic.

He continued to be involved the following season under Fenlon and then his successor, Terry Butcher, as Hibs were relegated to the Championship. Game time became harder to come by, however, after Alan Stubbs took charge three years ago and set about strengthening Hibs’ midfield before injuries eventually forced the homegrown player out of the picture completely.

Handling follows fellow academy graduates Jordon Forster, Alex Harris and Sam Stanton out of Easter Road this summer. He leaves with 65 appearances – 33 from the start – and four goals to his name.