Ethan Laidlaw: Who is the young Hibs striker in the squad to face Rangers?

The 16-year-old used to be a ballboy at Easter Road, and was on duty for the 5-5 draw between the Capital club and the Light Blues in May 2018.

Laidlaw signed his first professional deal just two months ago and the Academy graduate has attracted attention from clubs in England, reportedly spending a week on trial with Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United.

Laidlaw scored the only goal of the game as Hibs’ Under-14s won the Foyle Cup final in Northern Ireland in the summer of 2018, beating St Oliver Plunketts at Brandywell, the home of Derry City.

The forward scored seven goals in the lead-up to the final, netting a hat-trick against Carniny and braces against Sion Swifts and Inishowen.

Also in that Under-14 squad were Murray Aiken, Jacob Blaney, and Josh O’Connor who all signed professional deals with Hibs in January.

The club has high hopes for the boyhood Hibs fan, who is described as an “agile, quick, and skilful attacking player”.

Speaking in February the club’s Sporting Director Graeme Mathie said: “We were able to show Ethan a clear pathway of how we might be able to move between our Under-18s to our first team – likely involving our strategic partnership with Stenhousemuir – and we hope he can be the next young player to move from the terraces to the pitch at Easter Road in the coming years.”

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