Hibs close in on new boss with in-person interviews - and former contender for Hearts job 'impresses' panel
David Gray successor to be appointed during international break
Hibs are closing in on a new manager after a final round of in-person interviews, with Dutch coaching wunderkind Marink Reedijk emerging as a leading contender. The former Beveren boss, still just 34, is said to have impressed a hiring panel led by Easter Road executive chairman Ian Gordon.
The sacking of David Gray a week ago, following a mini-slump at the start of his third season in charge, prompted Hibs to cast the net far and wide in search of a successor. They are understood to have held preliminary talks with, among others, Ryan Mason, Michel Kniat, Stephen Bradley, Vesa Vasara and Jon Dahl Tomasson.
Young coach is a Doctor of Philosophy
A number of top contenders were then invited to meet with a Hibs contingent, including sporting director Malky Mackay, in London this week. The club are still hopeful of making an appointment during the international break and, with the first team flying out to Spain for a warm-weather training camp on Saturday, there is an obvious pressure to get a new man in place soon.
Sources in Belgium say Reedijk, most recently in charge of SK Beveren, believes he’s put himself in a good position to secure a quick return to coaching. He’s been out of work since leaving the club after putting together an undefeated season to win the Challenger Pro League and secure promotion to the top flight.
Dutchman started coaching as a student
Reedijk, who holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from Cardiff University and a Master’s Degree in coaching from the University of the West of England, began working in the West Brom youth system while still a student. He moved to Belgium to join the coaching staff of lower league side KSV Roeselare before taking up a similar role with Vitesse Arnhem, where he worked under experienced German manager Thomas Letsch and former Netherlands and Barcelona great Phillip Cocu.
After a spell in charge of the RSC Anderlecht Futures, the reserve team for the Belgian giants, Reedijk moved into first-team management with SK Beveren in the summer of 2024. Speaking to Dutch media just last week about his departure at the end of a record-breaking season, Reedijk – who was linked with the vacant Hearts job before Wouter Wrancken was appointed - insisted he was ready to return.
“I made that decision then, and I was fully committed to it at the time,” he said. “And I still am. When you take on a role, you have to be 100 percent committed to it, and at that moment, I wasn’t.
“I don’t think I’m too demanding, but there has to be someone who’s willing to give my profile a chance. I’m not a former player, and I’m still young.
“So a club would have to fully commit to that. That hasn’t happened yet. But what hasn’t happened yet might still happen.”