Former Hibs ace named captain of Premiership rival as he pulls curtain back on how 'massive honour' came to be

A former Hibs star has been named the new captain of a fellow Premiership side.

The Easter Road side are preparing for the new season with Raphael Sallinger and Jamie McGrath signed up so far. There are other clubs across the league making decisions and Dundee have had a busy summer with former Hearts captain Steven Pressley arriving as head coach.

Now another decision has been taken by the ex Jambo, with Simon Murray named his captain. He was a star player for the club last season after arriving from Ross County, having featured at Hibs between 2017-18.

Former Hibs striker named Dundee captain

Addressing the news, the striker said: “It is a massive honour. Being from here, growing up as a Dundee fan and now getting that responsibility from the new gaffer is great and something that I am really proud of.

“We’ve had a few days in training and I had a good chat with the gaffer, he pulled me in and we had a really good chat and he said that he wanted me to be the captain. It was an easy decision for me to accept. I’m going to give it my all and I look forward to the challenge.

“I’m not going to change, the gaffer was pretty clear that he wants me just to be me. Just to bring what I bring, enthusiasm, hard work, and leadership skills and for me just be my own person and just keep doing what I’m doing. He said that was the reason that he chose me to be captain. The fans are our twelfth man, they are so important to us and hopefully, they are all back to Dens to spur us on again.”

A club statement reads: “Dundee Football Club can confirm that Simon Murray has been named as the new Club Captain. Simon who joined us last season will now captain The Dee, the club he supported as a boy. After a short loan spell in 2018, Simon returned to Dens last year and in his first season back played 46 times and scored 22 goals. At the end of the season awards Simon took home the Players Player of the Year trophy and the Andrew De Vries Player of the Year trophy.”

What Steven Pressley wants to bring to Dundee

Pressley said that stability is one of the things he wants to bring to Dundee. He told STV: “I am really enjoying the job, we have some really good people within the club, the players have been really receptive and shown a really good attitude, so from that perspective it has been good.

“We have a lot of building to do and a lot of hard work ahead of us, but it’s step by step. It’s a club where we don’t want so much change year to year, we want greater stability around the squad, so every summer we are just adding one or two players to the group.

“That is where we want to get to. At this moment in time, when you are bringing in ten or 11 players, you have to not only educate them on the principles of play, but also integrate them into the culture you want to bring. There is a lot of building to be done around that, but at the same time as doing that we have to get some results, so it is a real challenge.”