Hibs monitoring midfielder Stevie Mallan's situation at Barnsley

Hibs are keeping tabs on former St Mirren midfielder Stevie Mallan after his current club Barnsley were relegated to League One.

Mallan signed for the Tykes a year for a reputed £200,000 fee, but had to wait until Boxing Day before making his debut and, in all, played just nine games last season as the Yorkshire outfit finished third bottom of the English Championship.

As a result, head coach Jose Morais and his backroom staff were sacked having been in charge for only 79 days after replacing Paul Heckingbottom, who quit to become manager of Leeds United in February.

Mallan made the move south after playing a major role in helping prevent the Buddies suffer back-to-back relegations, the former Scotland Under-21 player having played more than 100 games for the Paisley club and scoring 29 goals, many of them spectacular long-range efforts such as the free-kick he scored at Easter Road in October 2016 as Hibs were knocked out of the Challenge Cup.

Barnsley midfielder Stevie Mallan

Mallan himself admitted he was finding life difficult at Barnsley only a few months after making the switch, saying “I have gone from playing every week to not playing, it’s hard”, while vowing to fight for his place in the team.

However, game-time has been at a premium for the 22-year-old, who will be anxiously awaiting to discover who Morais’ successor will be.

Hibs will have to reinforce their midfield for next season, with out-of-contract Dylan McGeouch departing at the end of the month and loanee Scott Allan returning to Celtic. In addition, talisman John McGinn is expected to attract offers on the back of yet another fine campaign as he enters the final year of his contract.