Hibs Exclusive: New striker has sights set on following Nisbet, Porto with Scotland breakthrough

Bowie in Scotland Under-21 action earlier this year. | SNS Group

New Hibs forward Kieran Bowie believes his Easter Road move will help him become Scotland’s next starting striker. And gaffer David Gray has backed the former Raith Rovers star to follow former Hibees Kevin Nisbet and Ryan Porteous by using the club as a springboard to full international honours.

Bowie has signed a four-year contract following his move from Fulham, becoming the club’s eighth signing of a busy summer, with more incomings – potentially including Dundee midfielder Luke McCowan, depending on negotiations – likely. The Bowie deal has been confirmed this afternoon.

Gray said he’d been impressed by the 21-year-old’s scoring exploits during back-to-back loan seasons with EFL League One side Northampton. And, having tracked his progress through the international youth ranks, the Hibs boss revealed that the Scotland Under-21 striker has ambitions of becoming a mainstay in the senior side.

“I know his ultimate aim is to become Scotland’s No. 9 - I’ve spoken to him about that,” said Gray, the rookie head coach adding: “Hibs can hopefully give him the platform to push on and achieve that.

“I think it shows that he’s an ambitious player. And he’s someone who understands that it takes a lot of hard work to get there.

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“He knows there is no God-given right of anyone to make it to that level. Having spoken to him, he’s very grounded on that.

“So it starts with him understanding that he’ll have to work hard to reach those heights. He knows that’s the minimum when he signs for me, anyway.

“But the fact that he’s got the ambition to WANT to go and do that, I admire that. Because he knows what it will take.”

Paying a fee – believed to be in the region of six figures – for Bowie and handing him a long-term contract underlines Gray’s belief in the attacker. As important to the player, snapped up by Fulham for £150,000 when he was still a raw 17-year-old, is the opportunity to impress Scotland boss Steve Clarke.

Gray, who said breaking into the Hibs team would have to be the first priority for his latest recruit, revealed: “I explained to him, when we talked about him coming here, that Kevin Nisbet had forced his way into the Scotland team on the back of playing so many games here. Ryan Porteous got into the Scotland set-up as well.

“There is a pathway to do that if you’re performing well at this level. That’s a great incentive.

“But he knows he’s also got good players in front of him. It’s not as simple as that. He has to perform every week, challenging – firstly – just to get into the team and then make sure he warrants that selection.

“He’s a real talent, an exciting young talent coming through. He’s got all the attributes to be successful – pace, power, he can play in a variety of positions, which I like. I’ve mentioned that a lot, the need to be versatile; he gives us so many more options in that forward area.

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“I remember him as a young player. And it’s not always that you see young Scottish players get the opportunity to go down to England, so I was aware of that move.

“Over the years when he was coming through the Scotland set-up, as I moved into coaching, I kept tabs on the guys progressing through the age groups. I saw him playing for the 21s when we had some young Hibs players in that group.

“But it was really noticeable how well he did on loan last year. I thought he did really well. He created a lot of chances for himself, scored a lot of really good goals in League One, which is a difficult environment for young players. His goal return was excellent.”