David Marshall set to complete Hibs move as he eyes Scotland return

Hibs are set to bring David Marshall back to Scotland this summer when his contract with Queen’s Park Rangers expires.

The veteran goalkeeper has already agreed in principle a two-year deal with the Easter Road side that would see him playing his club football in his homeland for the first time in 15 years.

This is despite Hibs not having a manager in place, with the club seeking a successor to Shaun Maloney following his sacking in mid-April.

Marshall, who has 47 caps for Scotland, was with Derby County in the English Championship but left to join QPR on a short-term deal after falling out of favour with Rams boss Wayne Rooney and losing his place in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.

He established himself as first choice between the sticks at Loftus Road under Mark Warburton before an injury suffered in March ended his season prematurely.

The No.1 hasn’t been first pick for his country since Euro 2020 with Craig Gordon of Hearts preferred by Clarke.

But the 37-year-old could look to revive his international career with a move north with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on the horizon.

Should the new Easter Road manager green-light the signing, the idea is that Marshall will provide competition for Matt Macey and Kevin Dabrowski as well as being able to help bring on younger ‘keepers like Tom Carter and Murray Johnson.

David Marshall is keen to force his way back into the Scotland set-up

However, Marshall would be arriving as a player rather than a player-coach.

Maloney spoke prior to his exit of needing more experienced players in his squad and with the average age of the current team, excluding those injured, at the younger end of the twenties there appears to be a need for more experienced heads.

Current first-team goalkeepers Macey and Dabrowski, and third-choice shot-stopper David Mitchell are all under contract at Easter Road until the summer of 2023. Mitchell is currently serving as interim goalie coach following Jon Busch’s exit at the start of this month.

Should the new manager want to pursue his own targets, the Evening News understands club and player will be able to reach an agreement to cancel the arrangement.